


Extraordinaries

by nyapowers15



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alchemy, Azaria the sharp titty queen, Basically about the afterlife, Corruption, Death, Explanations, Flashbacks, Gibby - Freeform, Gibby is in this fic and goes SICKO MODE, It gets super violent, Lady Azaria has sharp tiddies, Lotor is secretly soft Boi, Lotor’s awkward boners, Magic, Memory Loss, Mild Sexual Content, Mind Control, Mindscapes, Moderate Sexual Content, Multi, Near Death, Possession, Post Season 8, all sex scenes are Lotor and Allura, character development in pretty much all the characters, comic relief chapter in part 2, corrupted society, get ready, implied sex, more detailed sex in part 2, naked, not detailed enough for explicit tho, part 1 throws a bunch of shit at you, part 2 is way more organized and is where the main story kicks in, plottwists, references to real world problems, scary little kid, shower scenes, some chapters about earth, the afterlife has A LOT of issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2019-09-19 15:11:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 72,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17004024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyapowers15/pseuds/nyapowers15
Summary: Allura and Honerva make it into the Afterlife, otherwise known as the ‘Final Reality’, a realm where people go after the die. The Afterlife is a special place specifically for those who have made extraordinary impacts while they were alive, impacts that directly affected their history and destiny. The inhabitants have the honor of watching over the living in all realities, seeing what other directions their stories could have gone, and helping people out. Allura and Lotor start catching up, characters are reunited with families, and all seems to go well. However, Allura immediately suspects that the place is corrupted, from evidence of a child prophet who had lost her memories, to tense rules and suspicious regulations. These suspicions become exploited when they find out that the leader of the realm doesn’t have good intentions. Allura, Lotor, Honerva, and a few others embark on a journey to save the realm and possibly all of existence when the leader begins to push a devastating plan forward





	1. Rules of the Final Reality

_Rules of the Final Reality_

_Only those worthy of having their afterlife in the realm is welcome. If you do something legendary while living in your reality, you will be the first piece of your soul transported. All previous lives you unknowingly had that have passed before your version of you are currently in other afterlives and will be fused with you later on._

_No child under the age of 9 has been accepted._

_There is to be no romantic relationship between two individuals unless they are verified and enabled to._  
This is allowed when:   
-The two individuals have lived out all of their lives in the living realms  
-The two individuals have received a top rank  
-The individual has a strong relationship ONLY with their partner and nobody else in the living realms (ex: Zarkon and Honerva)  
Consequences are not in form of forced punishment. Consequences are natural, so precautions are to be taken seriously.

_  
Top rank is presented when individual has fused with all parts of their soul. Fusion happens during the Ceremony of Joining, when a part of a person’s soul dies from it’s reality in the living realm. Some people may only have one part of their entire soul. Others may have upwards of forty._

_  
Everyone is at the same rank upon arrival, whether you were homeless or you were royalty. Royalty will lose their titles. (Example: Lotor is no longer to be called Emperor and Allura is no longer to be called Princess)_

_  
If individual reaches outer border of the realm, they are to stop immediately and turn around. If there is any damage done there could be detrimental occurrences._

_  
There is no marriage in the realm. There is also to be total abstinence. It is possible to become pregnant if you are at childbearing age. The child born will be wiped from existence. This has happened one time before, yet no one remembers for the child was indeed erased._

_  
Life here is eternal. Make yourself comfortable._

 


	2. Postmortem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura, Honerva, Alfor, Gyrgan, Trigel, Blaytz, and Zarkon are all in their first day of the Final Reality, a special afterlife reserved just for the most worthy of individuals. Lotor guides them to meet a very important women. Allura begins to worry about many different things.

Alfor grabbed his daughter’s hand and squeezed as they headed into the white void.

Both she and Honerva were wiping tears away on their sleeves as they walked with their families to the Great Beyond. Was it Heaven? Heaven was the place that the paladins spoke of, where most humans believed dead souls go. They described it as utopia, a pristine place where you could be happy for eternity.

When she had chosen death, she did not feel any pain. She felt her heart clench but as her steps continued she felt her breath slow down, her strained rapid thoughts calm. No more fighting. No more war.

“This, Allura, is the Final Reality.” Alfor said. The white void behind them faded out, and the place before them welcomed them like a mother’s embrace. The sky was all different kinds of colors- colors she had never imagined, and it smelled of something sweet. It encompassed Allura like an infant’s blanket, and she let out a long, shaky sigh and wiped away the rest of her tears.

There were all kinds of people standing a valley of green grass. They were happy, festive, caring. Lanterns were hung up, illuminating faces of all different colors, types, shapes. It looked like some kind of party, you could see people off to the side playing different kinds of instruments that she had no recognized.

“This place does not require you to be perfect to enter. It accepts those who have made the realest mistakes but attempted the greatest change.” Lotor said. Allura still felt odd hearing his voice, but she knew that he was always just someone who had good will. Someone who was destroyed by parents who were also so unaware. “This is where we will spend the rest of eternity. All of us- as a family. We need not to be sad. This place… exploited my pure joy that I had never thought I had.” When he said that, Honerva smiled up at him, giving his palm a squeeze. She realized that even though different realities foretold him being happy, nothing could replace the Lotor that she gave birth to in hers. In ten thousand years of peril, she was ecstatic to see that his face was calm like a child’s, his voice was soft instead of contemptuous.

“You have been here the longest, haven’t you?” Blaytz asked. As he remembers, him and all of his teammates were trapped in Honerva’s consciousness for ten thousand years. They had been released just hours before. Honerva and Allura obviously just got there. Lotor died four years ago, and when he had died, he woke up in the center of existence, where he had faced all of his memories and realized everything he had done wrong in his life.

“Actually, I have met a woman here who you would all like to meet.” Lotor smiled. It was a warm smile. “May we go to her first?”

They all had looked at each other, smiling back at him. They nodded their heads.

As they walked through the crowd, somebody yelled out “New people!” They turned towards the source of the voice. It was a human. He had a mark, running from the side of his face. It wasn’t an ugly one either, it was beautiful and in a wavy design. Now that Allura realized it, everyone else there had an array of marks in different places. Arms. Legs. Hands.

When everyone turned to the group and took notice, they began clapping. How long have these people been here? There had to be some kind of trap, some kind of manipulation going on with these people to be so happy. How come they were happy? Allura was back with her mother and father, yes, but she had to say goodbye to the people who were her family for the hardest point in her life. It would take upwards of sixty, seventy years to see them here again.

That was a long time.

Honerva waved to them, and Lotor led the way. They gave them all pats on the backs. Some handed them flowers. It was all so overwhelming for Allura, and you could see that on her face.

“Allura, what is the matter?” Alfor asked.

“My friends are all devastated. I made them devastated.” Her lip curled in. She was about to cry. Her father put a hand on her back.

“You did it to save all of reality, my daughter.” He said. “All of existence, nothing would be left without you.”

“Then why do I feel so selfish of it?”

Alfor looked over to Honerva, who looked back at him. “Because you knew that they loved you. And they will always keep you in their hearts. You are an extraordinary child.”

Lotor led them through the rest of the crowd. It wasn’t a large amount of people living there, and that scared Allura the most. “Where’s the rest of the people?”

Lotor looked down at her. “That is all.”

 

—-

 

They arrived at a temple, one that looked much like Oriande’s yet even more magical, and even bigger. The inside was full of beautiful vines and an obsidian carpet, flags hung down from each wall. Fountains were on either side of the walkway, flowing with sparkling lilac waters. Their sound echoed off the stone of the palace, and Allura and Honerva were taking it all in like they were newborns seeing the world for the first time.

Lotor stopped at the bottom of the grand steps. “The lifegivers of Altea did provide us with our lives, by our souls are all intertwined together in the same entities as everything else. What created existence itself is far beyond my intelligence’s reach, but I have found a woman here who was able to explain just how precious a soul is to me.” He watched as a lady came down the steps. She was Altean, had dark skin and a lean face with long, beautiful silver and platinum hair. “This is Francis.” He said, his eyes meeting Honerva’s. “My grandmother.”

Honerva fell into all kinds of feelings. “It can’t be!” She gasped. Her eyes squeezed shut, tears running down her face, she ran towards the woman, and the woman took her into her embrace. “I thought I would never see you again!”

“My daughter Honerva Acelynne.” Francis pressed her lips to Honerva’s forehead. “You have finally arrived here.”

The woman looked much younger than Honerva. Honerva looked like a human in their 50’s. This woman looked like she was in her early 30’s. Allura could guess that the age you die at was the age you would look forever in the Afterlife. She must’ve died early on.

Honerva let go, holding onto both hands of her mother. “You’ve missed out on so much of me. These are my two joys in life. Zarkon, my husband,” she gestured over to Zarkon, who gave a little wave. “And my son, Lotor.”

Lotor’s face changed for a split second. He was surprised. He barely knew Honerva. The only time they truly talked did not have a good atmosphere. But he understood. He watched her for the four years from there, all the struggle that she went through just to try to get to him again.

“Your son was asking me all kinds of questions since he has gotten here. You both have the same intelligence of the Dondopoo family.”

“ _Dondopoo_?!” Blaytz snorted loudly. They all burst out in laughter.

“Yes.” Honerva sighed, embarrassed. “That is my maiden name, changed to Sincline when I married Zarkon.”

“Oh my stars, mother!” Lotor cackled, a hand on his face.

Allura was the only one not laughing. Francis noticed this. “Sweetie? Are you alright?”

“It’s all…” Allura’s voice drifted off. “I cannot believe this is happening. I..” Gyrgan and Trigel both put hands on her shoulders.

Lotor was the first one to speak. “May I have a moment alone with her? Go and have dinner. Grandmother, please tell them all of the tale.”

Allura’s heart raced. When they all had walked away and left them alone, she never felt so awkward and tense. It was _him_. He was this sweet little boy and she knew that, but could he truly be perfect now, or was he still misguided?

“Princess, I-“ he began. “I am dearly sorry for the last encounter we had. In your dream.”

“That was real?” Her eyes widened.

“The words I was saying to you were not what I had intended.” He confessed. “I may have scared you.”

“Yes, you did.” She turned away, crossing her arms.

He took a breath in. “I am no longer going to try to control you. I am no longer going to feel any sort of contempt, any sort of disloyalty. You were right. And you were right to leave me in that moment, at Daibazaal, I was not the one for you. Your brain was warping the words I was trying to convey in the dream because you had grown scared of me. And I understand that.”

“What are you saying?”

He stood for a moment, then kneeled. “I ask you of your forgiveness.”

She froze. She forgave Honerva. She forgave Zarkon. She knew why Lotor wasn’t on the right path, that was revealed to her when she was in Honerva’s head. Why couldn’t she fully forgive him? Did it have to do with Lance being her rebound?

She needed to let go. If she was going to spend an eternity with him, then that was the best thing to do.

She burst out in tears. “Oh, I know you mean no harm now, but I feel so… confused. I know I did this to save existence, and I know that I will eventually see them again but when I was looking at the crowd and how small it was- there are trillions- no, an infinite amount of lives that were created since the very beginning of time. Why am I only counting hundreds here? Will they truly make it back? I want to be able to see them again, I love them.”

He stood, carefully pulling her into a hug. “They will come. This place is for people who have changed their realities. Here, grab my hands.” He shifted to hold her hands. He closed his eyes, and suddenly she was blasted into the void of existence, seeing the white glowing mass in the middle with the strings of realities coming from it. They were just floating out there. The way the void held her, the cool wind on her face, it was exhilarating. “See where the reality strands split and become two?”

She nodded.

He pointed a finger to one of the strands. “That is our reality. Look at the end.”

She had to squint to notice it. At the end of the strand, it was noticeably beginning to separate. Two strands came from one, one longer than the other. “Time here is confusing. When we look at the different strands and watch the different realities, each seem to be going at a different pace. It is like there is no set pace at all. When something happens in a reality that changes it’s destiny forever, the alternative goes on, while it’s counterpart begins. When we accessed the quintessence field, that is when the split began. I was sent here because I had caused that. The old paladins were sent here because without their actions along with your team earlier, the story could not continue and all existence would have been lost.”

She was in awe. “So everything was happening the same… then the reality split off into two different outcomes?”

“In one story, the paladins returned home and are continuing to change the universe. In the other one, well, the war continues on. The paladins and us began to have children. Right now they are all at uncertainty. And I do watch them.” He said. “In the reality split with the paladins who have said goodbye to you, they are traveling in time relatively fast. The other one is relatively slow. And I know that since they had helped stopped the destruction of existence and the have changed the course of history, they will arrive here when they pass. There is nothing to worry about. This place is home to those who have factored into splitting the reality into two.”

Her mind was blown. “So… because we stopped the war we get to come here? Where does everybody else go?”

The room faded back in. They were back in the foyer of the temple. “I am not sure.” He said sadly. “Not knowing brings everybody here a sense of sadness. We like to believe that they do go to their religious ends. We never come into contact with them.”

Her face dropped. “So… a lot of our relatives, other friends, who didn’t play a role into changing this universe… we’ll never see again?”

“All I can say is that we are a family of our own here. And you are here with your father. And time here is different. It will not be long before your friends get here.” He said. He wiped a stray tear from her eye.

“My mother..” she choked, holding her hands close to her heart.

“I know.”

Melenor was not in the Afterlife with them.

—-

 

Dinner was loud. It consisted of the old paladins, Honerva, Lotor, Allura, and Francis. “I need not worry. Do not be nervous about your passage into here. For this is home. This is the most new people we have gotten in awhile, so everybody is excited. Everybody here has an amazing story to share. I ask you all to go around and ask people, connect with people, learn everybody’s names for the next few day and night cycles.” Francis said. “Here, our purpose is to watch over and guide those who are still living. Now doing that for eternity may be hard to think about, but time here is different. Seeing all of these different actions happen in all these different realities is like reading a book. And that does make us stalkers.” She laughed. The others all laughed. “Here there is no war, no argument, no illness.”

“Alright!” Gyrgan fist pumped the air.

“Oh, you are just happy that you won’t be sick with an illness every other week. May I remind you back in reality that one time we were training?” Trigel smiled. “You gave everyone that disgusting stomach flu?”

“Oh, that was terrible!” Alfor laughed, putting down his drink.

“Francis, how did you arrive here?” Zarkon asked.

Francis looked over at him. “That was the day that I never expected.”

“It was a sad day, but it was the day when Altean alchemy had begun.” Honerva said. “I was just a little girl, ten deca-phoebes at most.”

Everyone was listening intently now. You could hear a pin drop.

“Me and Alfor were playing outside, and we knew that we both had gifts, but we were never allowed to use them because Altea did not allow it. My mother protected me my entire childhood because alchemic powers were seen as evil. The people would kill anyone who had anything to show of it.” Honerva explained. “One day, I was captured. My mother protected me, sacrificing herself. When everybody had heard that a mother had sacrificed herself for a child, they decided to give alchemy a try. Everyone who had the gifts began using them, and the scientific revolution begun.” She grinned. “If it wasn’t for her bravery, then a huge factor would have been missing from the creation of Voltron and quintessence would have never been discovered.”

“Woah…” Blaytz began slow clapping, and they all applauded as Francis bowed her head.

“When I was asked if I had wanted to be here, I accepted. I knew that Honerva would be here as well because I knew that she could change the universe, not just Altea.” She said.

“I feel the same about my little girl too.” Alfor looked over at Allura, who’s heart swelled. “She was always so courageous and spunky, and we knew she held the gifts.”

“My son.. I watched him grow up. And I do feel pain from not raising him like I should have.” Honerva said. “But I am happy that he is here with me now.”

Lotor nodded. He stood, making a toast. “To the extraordinaries!”


	3. Reality X-2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura gets to see into a reality for the first time in the Afterlife and she chooses Reality X-2: the alternative ending to what happened after the infamous Quintessence Field Battle.   
> Lotor gets caught breaking a major rule of the Final Reality, one that could result in major consequences.  
> Honerva brings something to Lotor- and important item from his childhood.

**Allura’s entry**

**  
It’s hard living here. It’s hard letting go. But I knew that I had to do it.**

**I have so many questions, the one thing that life does not prepare us for is this sort of passing. I believed in an afterlife, however, I never believed I would be put into one with historically changing people.**

**Time here is very different. Yesterday I finally decided to tap a little bit into a reality. I wanted to see how the paladins were doing, if they were truly fulfilling their dreams or not. But I chose a different one to look at out of curiosity.. and well..**

**Surprisingly, out of everybody here, I became most comfortable with Francis. She’s like a mentor to me. She’s currently teaching me everything there is to know about this realm. She taught me how to connect to my reality.**

——

  
“Now what you are going to do is place your hands on this teludav.” Francis directed Allura’s hands. This teludav was different from the ones back in reality. This one was a singular orb on a pedestal. The writing underneath it was scribblings that she couldn’t understand, and when she asked about those Francis told her that it said ‘Reality X’. “Reality X is a relatively newer reality. It is roughly 13.8 billion years old. This is the reality that you specifically grew up in. The reality split into two not too long ago, and you can choose which of the two strands to visit.”

Lotor told Allura that in one of the strands, the one she just left, the paladins went onto continuing to keep the universe at peace. In the other, the war continues- but she also heard something about children.

“I want to visit the other one. The one I didn’t come out of. The one I’m still alive in.” She said, biting her lip. She was nervous. What was she going to see?

“Okay. Focus in all of your energy. Feel the reality course through you.” Francis said.

Allura felt the glass of the orb beneath her palms, closing her eyes and letting out a breath. Out of nowhere, she felt herself being blasted with several different images. She saw the first war on Daibazaal, she saw the first colonies of Altea, the Crusades on Earth, she saw several different events from other planets, becoming more recent as it went along.

She opened her eyes to see herself in a black void with several different screens, all playing different scenes of what was happening in the reality’s present. She looked around, taking a step forward. “Francis?” She called out, hearing her voice echo a thousand times. No reply.

Her fingers reached out slowly to touch one of the screens, which had her on it. She looked a little bit older. Just a little. She was wearing a galran crown, galran dress, and judging by the background she was likely in Central Command. Her eyes widened. What was this? How did she end up becoming a ruler of the Galra?

It hit her when she saw the child.

“ _Mom! Check this out!_ ” A child with wild white hair, who had to be around eight years old ran and did a front flip, flipping himself right into a container against the wall.

The child had purple skin. He had Lotor’s face. And… an American accent? Nevermind the accent. The child just called her Mom.

Lotor must’ve survived the Quintessence Field in this strand. And him and Allura’s relationship must’ve still existed.

“ _Careful, Zion!_ ” She heard herself say. _“You are going to injure yourself.”_

 _“Not like he isn’t already injured in the head!_ ” She heard a little girl’s voice say. She saw a ten year old girl, once again with purple skin who looked undeniably like Lotor but had her curly hair. A son? A daughter? What the hell? Allura imagined that she would’ve been married to Lance. She wanted to see more of the children, they were beautiful, but at the same time it scared her. This all scared her. She backed away, suddenly feeling like she was falling.

She faded back into the room with Francis. She could feel an involuntary smile on her face. “I had… children.”

“Four of them, with my grandson.” Francis said. “They are all very special and have a very important future. They may very well qualify for their second life here.”

Allura’s face saddened. “But then again, I got married to Lotor.”

“That was before you fell in love with that human boy. You ended up pregnant with your daughter, and Lotor was given a second chance and turned his life around when she was born, then the children just kept on coming along. It is really a beautiful thing. In the different realities, our souls experience many different relationships. In one you might be married to a different person than the other. The person who you end up in eternity will become apparent when all of your soulmates die as well. It will be awhile. You were alive for a ten thousand year time frame. Many things have happened for you.” Francis explained.

“So what happens to all the other me’s? When they all pass?” Allura was mind blown. Dang. That’s like cheating but in an unaware impossible level. “Like aren’t we all just one person?”

“Each reality holds a different part of each person’s soul. Imagine it like a puzzle, my dear. You are the first part of your soul to make it here. As you pass in the other realities, those pieces will join yours, and you will be filled with all different kinds of memories. You may even have all different kinds of children, some maybe from different spouses. When all of those pieces come together, you will achieve a final ranking here.” Francis pointed to the badge on her chest. It was shaped like a flower. “I now, as one soul, have experienced everything that existence had to offer to me. I have had to see different versions of my experiences, some were amazing, and others not so much.”

Allura was fascinated. “Wow… oh, that will be so awkward. I married your grandson in one reality and fell in love with the other in the other one. I don’t even want to know who I came across in all the other ones.”

Francis laughed. “Oh, you are such a relatable being. It’s hard to think about. That is why here, love is forbidden until you make your achievement.”

“What?”

“It is safer to not have a partner while you are here and still experiencing things in the living.” Francis said. “It may cause you much heartbreak when you receive all your memories of your existence.”

  
——-

  
Allura busted into Lotor’s room. He was up, reading a book. “Have you not learned of knocking?” He said, flipping the page.

“You didn’t quiznacking tell me that we had k i d s.” She clenched her fists.

His eyes met hers, smirking. “We may have parted ways in our strand of existence and you went off to be with Lance, but things were different in the other one. I love our children, hopefully we will get to meet them.”

She almost kicked him. She didn’t know why. She just wanted to kick him. She held her angry face.

“If it makes you feel any better, in one reality I was actually married off to a human girl named Maegan. She was a frightening fan girl, one who had made a public archive about me with 10.5 thousand followers. She was almost a stalker. Still makes me shiver to this day.”

“Oh?” Allura gave a side smile. “That’s bad.” She leaned against the door.

“I would not recommend looking into any of the other realities except for reality X. Some of them are quite cringeworthy. Not just for me. For everyone.” He laughed. His laughing died away. “Even though life was not very likeable, I do miss it dearly. There were so many more people I could have helped. But alas I live here now. I do not think of it as being dead, just in another chapter.”

Allura came over and sat down in a nearby chair. She wanted to catch up with him. He was not that bad of a guy, her mind twisted the betrayal situation into something it was not. “Perhaps I should have had a little more patience and let you explain more. I never realized the abuse you endured growing up. When I was in Honerva’s mind.. I saw everything. She may have been very angry and in some ways diabolical, but she loved you. She had a heart. And so did you. You wanted to preserve life, just like the rest of us.”

“I know why you were so upset with me now. When I got here and had everything that I did wrong in life thrown into my face, I knew that I could never forgive myself for what I have done to all of those Alteans. I am so _angry_ with my actions that some nights I lie awake wishing that I could go back and change that.”

“Well surely all of those people are not completely gone. They may be dead in that reality but they’re probably still alive in all of the other ones.”

“Yet Romelle is still living, and she must live with the fact that I destroyed her brother. She will not know of the way an afterlife works until she herself passes. I did it so carelessly because I never had a family. I did not know how losing a family member felt. And I would never want to lose my mother or father now, they are two very respectable individuals when they are not hostile overlord taking over every innocent.” He put his book down. Lotor within himself was a casual, soft personality. It seemed weird that he was expressing something like that to her. When they were dating he never discussed that kind of thing, you know- a true feeling of guilt. He’s opened up to her but never has he admitted feeling terrible about his actions. This is what she was wanting from him all along. Remorse.

“Lotor, I do forgive you.” She said. “There were some things I had done out of anger in these last few movements. There were some things I had watched my close allies do. You may have done something that was awful, but your mother- your father- have done some of the worst. You were just like them. Lost, confused. And that’s okay. Here you can start over. You can get back on the right track. Like you had said, this is not a place to mourn.” She gave a small smile.

His eyes trailed off to the side. “I have one more thing to discuss with you.”

“What is that?”

“I need you to know that I am not going to try to impede on the relationship that you and Lance had. I love you. I do, I just need you to know that here we are not to have anymore of those kinds of feelings for each other.” He said.

Somewhere, her heart hurt. “You are a wonderful person, you have a beautiful mind. I love you as well. But I had fallen for Lance. I miss him each and every dobash.” She almost felt a lump in her throat. “May I tell you a secret?”

“Yes.”

“I do not want him to live out the rest of his life just thinking about me. I need him to be happy. I need for him to find somebody else who loves him. He told me that humans live for eighty years. And since we were exposed to the quintessence field, their lives could be even longer now. That is a long time for somebody to hold onto someone else, when they are just so young.” She confessed. Lotor was surprised at this. Allura was always going to love Lance, that was a fact. Yet she loved him to the point that she was never going to be selfish of the relationship that she had with him, she wanted him to experience the best in life. He needed somebody new, and since she was dead, she was kind of out of the running. Also, if Lance were to die at an old age, when he gets to the Final Reality he would be too old and crusty for her. Oops.

“I had to do the same thing. Because I was born of two quintessence obsessed people, I knew from the beginning my lifespan was going to be long. They estimated it upwards of thirty to forty thousand years. I fell in love with so many different individuals and had to let them go when they outgrew my physical age. I had to live many lifetimes, watch those that I love die inevitably. I never gave them quintessence because I was not permitted to. My father told me not to waste my time with any women. I knew that was a painful truth. I had to just keep moving on, and Lance has to do the same thing. But for him, although he had annoyed me, I wish for him to find somebody permanent.” Lotor was never naturally selfish. He learned that the only thing of life was waiting for something to come to you at the right time. Him and Allura did not happen at the right time.

But she was there. Right there in front of him. She was to live the rest of eternity out in the same realm with him. He could start this all over with her, but that was not permitted. And he did not want to force anything upon her. Breaking her heart was also something he felt remorse over.

“I saw our children and my heart ached for them. I long for that now.” Allura said. That caught his attention.

“You will get to know all of the experience when that version of yourself passes and you receive that part of your soul. We are with them now, just subconsciously.”

“You have been watching them, have you not?” She asked.

He smiled, nodding. “Yes, specifically.”

“Have you watched the other realities?”

“Yes.”

“Francis told me that I may have several children with different spouses right now from all the different realities. Do you know if I do?” She looked so freaked out.

“Well that is for you to see. But these children are the only children that I have had so far. Remember how I mentioned that girl named Maegan from reality Y who has the public archive of me called ‘lotorforlyfe’ ? Well, she said she wanted to have a child, name it Mike, and give it a middle name of Litoris. I still do not know of what it means. But it is the most abominable name I have ever heard.”

Allura burst out in laughter.

“What?” Lotor demanded.

“Oh, nothing.”

  
———

  
Lotor was trying to fall asleep that night, yet he could not think.

He always wanted to be a father. His father failed to give him a good father-son relationship. Now they were together and he did get to know him for who he truly was but that didn’t change the fact that his life was very painful.

What he said to Allura earlier was true, but she was different. She was the one whom he wanted to settle down and have kids with. She made him so happy in the darkest point of his life. He was alone, casted aside by everyone, and she brought him into her life with open arms.

Over the past four years, he continued to fantasize it. When he did find out there was a different strand of reality that did have her getting married to him and then having kids, he couldn’t have been more exciting. It could have been that way. And he longs to be able to acquire that reality and have the experience of that.

He got up slowly. Back when he was living, he was always having some kind of pain from combat or training, but here he never felt that. In some kind of messed up sense he did want to feel that. He wanted to be alive again. He loved that the Final Reality was nothing but joyous celebration of the most extraordinary beings to ever exist, but he hated that he was not allowed to feel love.

He reached for the book on the shelf by his bed, opening it. “What is the current conflict of my being in Reality X-2?” He said verbally, not to loud as to not wake the others. The book pages flipped on their own, opening to a page with a singular picture.

It was of him and Allura’s first daughter, Eden.

Eden, from what he has seen, was a fiery little spirit. At the current moment in their pace of time, she was already about ten years old. She had Allura’s curly hair and big eyes, but his pigmentations and somewhat of personality. “What is the conflict?” He asked.

“ _Individual suspects that her parents are not spending enough time with her. Her twin siblings Xeona and Zenon are both ill, while her younger brother Zion is experiencing issues of self conflict._ ” A voice welcomed itself into Lotor’s head.

“What is the solution?”

“ _Parents need to spend more time with their children. They are too focused on their Empire to pay attention to them. Family can fall apart if this conflict persists.”_

“Transport my spirit into my body in Reality X-2.” Lotor said.

 

He put a hand over the page of the book, breathing in slowly and closing his eyes.

 

_The next moment he opened his eyes, he was sitting at a table, wearing a fancy set of armor with a cape. He looked up to see Acxa, Zethrid, and Ezor all wearing commander’s uniforms. Allura was beside him, wearing a ceremonial Galra crown. “I need to be excused.” He said, getting up immediately. He made it in. He was now possessing his other version in Reality X-2._

_“But sir, we are not finished with this meeting.” Zethrid said._

_“Meeting is terminated.” He said. He was now back in the living realm, but not in the reality he experienced. He was in the reality where he got married to Allura and had children, the one that he watches. “Allura, please give them their orders and meet me in the ballroom.”_

_He walked down the hallway of Central Command, looking around. They really did change things up. Growing up in different Galra Command centers, he remembered everything as cold and empty. Now there were plants and such everywhere, drawings and paintings that his child had made. He loved this. This was a home._

_Down the corridor was the ballroom, the place where his children tended to play. When he peered around the corner, he was happy to see his two oldest playing tag, laughing and giggling loudly. He caught eyes with Eden, his oldest daughter. She stopped, standing still. Her younger brother Zion did as well. “Can you hang out with us? You and Mom have been working all day. And our Dayak quit.”_

_“Why did she quit?” He questioned. They had a dayak? He didn’t even know that. Was he truly that busy all of the time? Did he really not even try to include these kids in his meetings, when both of them were surely old enough? He remembered how that felt growing up, he went through three dayaks and the first two were sent away because they couldn’t make him evil enough._

_“Because she got frustrated with Zion and Xeona. During their sword lesson, they wouldn’t cooperate and kept blurting out human curse words. They made her cry.” Eden said._

_“She wasn’t crying!” Zion argued._

_“There were tears running down her face, Zion!”_

_“Okay. Well for now on,” Lotor said. “No Dayak. You two will be allowed to accompany your mother and I during our meetings. I think you are both old enough now.”_

_Allura walked into the ballroom as well. “Is everything alright?”_

_“Dayak quit.” Eden huffed. “And to think Zenon and I actually liked this one. But Zion and Xeona keep driving them away.”_

Lotor shot awake, back in his room in the temple. He held his forehead. He was kicked out of the reality. He gasped, racing to grab the book. “Open back, I must see the rest!”

The book was silent.

“Please, are the twins in good condition? You mentioned that they were ill.”

No answer. He grumbled in frustration, tossing the book off to the side. He lied back down.

He wasn’t supposed to be doing that, combining into the other part of his soul like that. That was very much prohibited, he was only allowed to watch over them, not live it out with them. He sighed, his head throbbing. The thing was that he wanted to break the rules. He longed for that reality, the one where everything turned out okay for him, not the one where he died, rotting away and forgotten. It was his deepest desire to marry Allura and have a family, the one that he longed for.

He looked off into the corner of the room, shouting when he saw Honerva there, sitting in the shadow. “What are you doing in here, witc-” He stopped himself. “I apologize. I know that I shouldn’t be calling you that, Mother.”

“My son,” she got up, walking over to him. “It is all fine. You need not to call me Mother. These things take time, it has only been a few rises since we have arrived here.”

He pouted a little bit. “I wish to call you Mother. You crossed realities for me. I never knew you would do that kind of thing, for me. But why are you dwelling in here? Is it not the middle of the night?”

“I have still retained onto my… magical abilities. I can sense any time you are under heavy stress. I was just checking in on you.” She said. “Your energy faded. I am worried for you. Does this usually happen? Do you face a threat of leaving this realm?”

“No. I do not.” He lowered his voice. His blue eyes met her gold ones. “I do not follow some of the rules. You cannot tell anyone of the sort. It is when my doings are revealed when I face the threat of doom.”

“What do you mean you do not follow some of the rules?” She smirked, sitting down on the bed beside him. She picked up the book. “Are you not to be putting your nose into the realities without authorization?”

He let out a heavy breath. “I have to know how my children are doing.”

“You sound just like somebody I know.” She laughed. “But I may have to tell you, I have not been following some of the rules either.”

He looked to her for an answer. She reached into the pocket of her dress, pulling out a small stuffed animal, which was nearly rags now. It’s face had a singular button, and it was somewhat of a cat. “Do you remember?” She held it to him. His took it in his hand.

He had to think way back, back to the earliest point of his life. “Is this… Poko?”

“Yes. You father had given it to me to destroy when you were a young boy. He claimed it softened your spirit. Instead I had kept it, I felt like I needed to. I brought it in this realm with me, which is indeed against the rules.” She stood. “You need to get some rest.”

He nodded, already feeling his eyes close on him. “Leave my presence.”

When she left the room, he squeezed onto the small doll, feeling at ease. 

 

 

 


	4. Father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor gets Alfor and Allura a wolf puppy as a ‘welcome gift’. Blaytz urges Lotor to go and talk to his father, and Honerva sends them on a trip in hopes of them finding something incredible... Perhaps... the meaning of existence itself?

_Lance wondered how Allura was doing. But not just Allura, he wondered how Honerva, Lotor, and all the old paladins were doing. Did he believe in afterlife? Certainly. He watched Allura and Honerva walk off to what had to be Heaven._

_Was it the Heaven he learned of? The Heaven where good people go, where it’s this amazing castle in the sky, with angels flying around and people twirling around in pretty dresses?_

_Maybe they were an entity now, not experiencing anything yet still feeling the universe._

_He liked to believe that they were experiencing an eternal life of peace. The term ‘being laid to rest’ could have meant many different things. Maybe Allura was on an epic adventure with her father, or dancing around the clouds._

_He looked up to the skies of Altea. Yeah. He hoped so._

  
——

  
“What in the great Oriande is this mess?!” Allura shouted when she woke up the next morning. Her entire room was a mess. Books were everywhere. A flower pot was spilled, spreading cosmic dirt all over the place. She heard a low growl, and when she saw the sound’s source she screamed.

It was a small baby wolf. A cosmic one like Kosmo, only it was electric pink. The small animal darted, running around in a circle in the room, spreading the books around. She got up quickly, hopping over the books. The wolf almost knocked her completely over in it’s pursuit, and she yanked the door open and pointed out into the hall. “Out!”

The animal whined, stopping to give her puppy eyes. It walked out, head hanging low.

She heard a laughing voice down the hall. She looked out, her eyebrows furrowed with a pucker in her lip. “Father! What is this… _abomination_ that you’ve placed into my dwelling?!”

Alfor picked up the creature. “Her name is Vitani.”

Allura went pale.

“I know you do not like animal companions, but she’s a very sweet girl.” He pet her, and she snuggled into his neck.

“She destroyed my room.”

“I am sure that is just her way of showing she loves you!”

Allura’s eyebrow twitched. “Her name means _war_.”

 _“Lotor_ named her. He thought that she would be a good welcome gift for you and I.” He said. “He is a nice young man.”

“I guess!” Allura crossed her arms. “But why a wolf? And a cosmic one at that! She is going to zap me out of existence!”

Alfor held the puppy out, and she panted happily as she stared Allura down, waiting for some kind of reaction. “Perhaps just give her a try. We have all been awfully down since we have arrived here. Maybe having an animal companion would comfort us.”

“That beast cannot replace Mother and you know that!” Allura blurted out, tears threatening to fill her eyes. “Why must she exist elsewhere, while we are stuck here in this Afterlife? I learned that it is against our regulations to contact any of the other afterlives. And we both know she is separated from us.” Now that was a sudden confession. But this had been bugging Allura since she had arrived and learned that Melenor was not in the Final Reality with them, she felt that her father had not cared because he had not expressed any sort of worry of it.

Alfor’s face saddened. He put Vitani down, and she sat there patiently. “My dear daughter…” he approached Allura, taking her into his arms. “It is out of our control. Yet there is good news. We may not be able to contact her, but we still have each other. There may be a way with time. They are always updating the rules here, the possibilities are endless, and we will always be around to see the changes. I miss her amazingly, but we still have Trigel, Blaytz, Gyrgan-“

“How can anyone replace her?”

Alfor felt a tear roll down his face. “Nobody can replace her, but I see her in you. Trust me. We will find a way to her. Because every night I still feel like she is here with us, like a fragment of her spirit is still watching over when our first lives have already come to an end.”

Allura was sobbing. She stayed like that as he ran a hand over her curls. She felt Vitani sneak her way between them, rubbing her cheek against her abdomen in an effort to comfort her.

It seemed like an eternity already.

——

Lotor found it easiest to speak to Blaytz of all the old paladins. Their personalities were quite opposite, yet they bonded for these past few days so well. They were outside in the fields, which were lit orange and yellow by the two suns. Lotor enjoyed sparring on actual grass, not a metallic floor on some random space cruiser. Here he felt the fresh wind blowing in his face, the smell of fresh dew in his senses.

“You fight well for somebody who is left handed!” He exclaimed, dodging Blaytz’s sword in one smooth motion.

A duck, a slip, a whole ball change at that. They were going at it, the duel dynamic for them mirroring their sides instead of being adjacent.

“You fight well for somebody who is right handed!” Blaytz’s chuckled. “I’m holding up well. And you?” He swung, his sword meeting Lotor’s in a big ‘ _clang_ ’.

“Well I am doing just fine, thank you!” Lotor grinned wide. He shoved his sword forward and through, knocking Blaytz’s sword clean from his hands.

He fell backwards to the ground, laughing loudly. “Okay, Okay! I may not be as good of a swordsman as I thought I was. You’re taking the breath right out of me. You win, kid.”

Lotor reached a hand out to help him up. He liked the Afterlife when it came to knowing that he was no longer fighting for something, but just having a morning friendly duel out in a nice field. He pulled Blaytz up and they did one of those weird bro hugs where they pull each other in and slap each other on the backs.

“You skills remind of Zarkon’s. Everything is so quick and precise. When we were young nobody was ever able to beat him in a match.” Blaytz said. “You should consider you two having a friendly duel.”

Lotor frowned, looking to the ground. It took Blaytz a few seconds to realize that he really should not have said that.

“The last time me and my father had fought, we were trying to kill each other.” He put his sword back into it’s hold.

“Man, kid. I’m sorry if I-“

“No, no. It is alright. It is going to take me some time. It is almost like I am interacting with an entirely new individual when I speak with him.”

“Well it has only been a few days since he finally got put here.” He put a hand on his shoulder. “Me and my father were very strained. He didn’t accept me after I came out to him when I was a teenager. I would do anything to have a second chance with the man, just to try and get him to understand…my dad- he was my dad. I think you should take that chance. You have no idea just how incredibly excited he was when he found out his wife was expecting you.”

Lotor sighed, smiling to himself. “I guess I should.”

.

  
Zarkon was with Honerva, getting ready to go on an expedition with her. They were going to go and trace the mountains outside of the capital of the Final Reality. He was packing things into a bag, turning when he felt a presence behind him. It was Lotor. He was standing against the wall. “Son, your mother and I are going on a small trip. We will be back by the time the second sun sets.”

“I have been meaning to talk to you.” Lotor said. “We need to settle our differences now if I am ever going to be able to forgive you.” He clenched his fist and raised it, looking down at the ground. He was putting up a wall around himself, afraid that this would not turn out well. He wasn’t very confident.

Honerva looked at Lotor, then at Zarkon, then back to Lotor with a face of ‘oh shit’. She then let out a breath. “Perhaps it is best if you two go on the trip together. I am too old to be climbing mountains anymore.”

“But Honerva, are you sure?” Zarkon asked.

Honerva walked up to Lotor, tucking a stray lock of hair behind his ear. “It is what is most fitting. You two will go on the trip. And my assignment is for you two to bring me back three pictures of your travels. I will stay back and continue my studies.”

Lotor looked down at his mother, with a pleading look in his eyes. A trip with his father? Seriously? What the H E C K?

“Yes, my dear. Come on, Lotor. Pack your things. We are visiting the Mountains of Ondur, a sacred land. There it holds the most legendary of memories in all of existence.” His father said.

“I was hoping we could just talk here.”

“No.” Honerva said to her son sternly. “You two are going on this trip, and you will get me these three pictures.” She walked out of the room, leaving Lotor and Zarkon in there alone.

This would be awkward.

 

  
They set out about half an hour later, hiking old school, wearing hiking boots and carrying packs with them. The thing about the mountains was that they were the most beautiful mountains they have ever seen, but they were also very steep and extended up past the clouds into the multi-colored sky. There was an edge of blue and orange that reflected from the suns, the trees placing intricate shadows on the face of the structures. Beautiful- just going to take a lot of energy.

“We will set out towards the south. Then we will head east towards the ocean.” Zarkon was looking at a map. “This place is incredible, every direction is indefinite.”

“I am aware.” Lotor began to walk grumpily. “I have dwelled here for four years. It is a plane that drops off into a large void. And the ocean is not southeast. It is southwest.”

“Have you been there before?”

“Many of times.”

Zarkon followed his son, his heart aching. He knew that he had every right to be angry at him- hell, even furious. He was angry at himself for the abuse he inflicted on this man, and for what? Just wanting to do the right thing? He had little hope of them solving this issue within the next eternity. And he deserved no hope.

But he continued to watch his son. He watched as he looked around, studying every little thing. He remembered as a baby Lotor would just stare at everything, already trying to figure everything out. He was always so observant and appreciative. Every once in awhile he would stop to pick something off a bush or a tree and place it into a small beaker glass. Honerva used to do the same thing, picking different things to study and experiment on.

After about an hour, they came up to the first mountain, beginning to climb it’s trail. It had been very quiet, and Zarkon longed to break the silence. Knowing full well that Lotor would not do it, he decided to do it himself. “Alfor had told me you had gotten him and Allura a gift. A cosmic wolf?”

“They live in the winter forest biome of Nantriz, the land out to the north. She was lost and her mother was nowhere to be seen, she almost imprinted on me. So I took her back, gave her to Alfor. I knew Alfor loved wolves but Allura? Well..” he chuckled softly to himself, feeling his cheeks warm just by talking about her. “She was never fond of animals. Maybe a small rabbit on a good day.”

“When I was trapped in your mother’s mind I found that you had actually fallen in love with that girl. I remember her from when she was a child. She was a sparky little being.”

“Mother trapped you in her mind?” Lotor turned abruptly. Zarkon nodded. “So… did she actually?”

“For a good few years, yes.”

Lotor almost gaped. He never fully took that seriously. He heard it happened but he thought they were all playing some kind of joke. What else was that witch capable of? She rippled through reality and was at the center of existence itself, she destroyed planets with her bare hands. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if she would actually be able to put in a flash drive successfully the first time or be able to cook minute rice in 59 seconds. She was talented like that. “Allura and I never worked out in our reality. I was going to let her go, but then I felt like my mind had completely snapped. I almost hurt her. And it is not like it matters. Love here is forbidden. At least for me and her.”

His father reached up to pick a leaf off of a tree. He caught a sun ray on it’s skin, it’s blue and green veins showing. “My mother always told me that love within itself was like a leaf. It had stems in it that went in many different directions. Although a leaf may become fractured it could still thrive, if the weather permitted it. You and Allura are both very complicated beings, my son. You both strive for your goals, even though now we are not of the living realm. You both would sacrifice anything to get to what you want. She let a dark entity within her, did you know that? She did that in order to stop your mother.”

Lotor kicked a rock, grip tightening around his backpack strap. “She told me about her dream this morning, she had a stirring a few movements ago about me. I decided to try and connect with her in her sleep. Her brain twisted my words to her, it was almost like a severed connection. She misunderstood what I was trying to convey. It is partially my fault she had become corrupted.”

“You possessed her dream? What are you capable of here?” His father was a bit freaked out.

“This realm holds many of possibilities. You have to put your whole being into it. I play a dangerous game, trying my best to guide those of the living to fix my mistakes.”

Zarkon put his pack down, deciding that his son had some piping hot tea about just the amount of power and control he had in the realm. “I think it is time we rest. You tell me more about what it is like here. I would love to hear of your tales.”

But Lotor felt a strange presence coming off of that question. “Why would you like to know?”

“Well if I am going to dwell here and ponder my existence for the rest of eternity, I might as well know what my own boy has been up to.”

———

Allura was talking to Honerva. “Your son got me a rabid animal.”

“Rabid animal? Oh my.” Honerva smiled. They were in the library, a huge amazing space with thousands of books. It sat within the temple, stained glass windows decorated the ceiling and brought colorful light down on the golden demeanor of the room. Honerva and Allura both had the same love for books.

“It was terrifying. And what exactly is he trying to prove to me?”

“Perhaps it is just a welcome gift, Princess.” Honerva took a book off the shelf, putting it into the pile that was tucked into her elbow.

Allura gasped. “It is not just a welcome gift, I assure you. It is revenge.”

“He has been here the longest out of all of us. And he does seem to love this realm. He wants you to love it just as much. It’s a customary gesture for the Galra royalty to give a gift to those of new lives.”

Allura paused. Yeah. Maybe it was just a welcome gift. And the puppy was awfully sweet. “It’s name is Vitani. Vitani is derived from a human language. It means war.”

“Actually-“ Honerva handed Allura a book. “It means ‘gentle rain’ in the galran language.”

Allura opened the book, looking inside. It was just a gallery of pictures. Pictures of animals, generally wolves.

“Wolves are not always hostile creatures. They’re protective. Give the puppy some time and you will find that you have a great companion.” She told the princess. “I must go. You continue your studies on your own. My mother wants to meet with you before dinner to continue your training.”

Just as Honerva was walking away, she raised her fingers and snapped them, and the wolf pup was suddenly right in front of Allura, staring up at her. She sighed, kneeling down. She held her palm at her snout. “Greetings, Vitani. Would you like me to treat you as a companion?”

Vitani just continued to pant contently.

 

 

 

 

 


	5. Memories out of the dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor and Zarkon continue on their bonding journey, which goes from tense and quiet to an inevitable reconciliation. Francis introduces Allura to an apprentice- an altean child named Belle, who apparently has specail abilities.

The mountains were not just a mountain chain. They were a special formation, and with proper technique and the right levels of emotion, you could have everyone’s past, present, and maybe even future to browse just by the flicker of a wanton thought.

By the time they had reached the summit of Mt. Sano, the most significant one in the proximal chain, it was already well towards the final sundown. The last sun was just about to set, lighting the sky from it’s bright pastel ora to a darker and softer mix of blue and purple cotton candy clouds and stars. “Should we turn back?” Lotor looked back at all the mileage they have covered. He could barely see the capital.

“No. Your mother desires three photographs.” Zarkon looked down. They were above the clouds, and the cold air tingled their faces.

Lotor moved pieces of his hair out of his face, tying it back into a ponytail. “Well let this be our first one.” He said.

His father took out a camera, a small Polaroid that they picked out from a gallery of historically changing artifacts. “How exactly does this work?” He proceeded to push the button on top, snapping a photo, scaring himself.

Lotor observed his father. The man was much of an average guy. If he were corrupted right now, he would be yelling at him to keep up, would be ordering him around to do things. It was almost cringy watching the same person be confused at everything, asking him the questions, trying to keep up with him. “Do you require assistance?”

The Polaroid dispensed a small photo, which quickly faded and defined itself into a blurry photo of the landscape. He looked at it. “Incredible. It is entirely made of raw material.”

“Yes, father.” Lotor said, almost bored. “That is how most of the worlds are like right now.”

Zarkon shot him a look. “We built an empire around you that had none of this technological level. Are you not interested?”

That caught his son’s full attention. “Of course I am interested, yet interest dies away when curiosity has already been fulfilled. Anyways, the Empire would of likely been better off if we had kept a more mediocre set of technology. Build an experience hands on and it would have promoted intellect. That is what I would have done.”

“I see…”

“And perhaps keep a more gentle approach on the children, they would have felt for things rather than just know of them.” Lotor was going off topic, yet he was aching to rant. He stopped himself before this could go any further. “Let us keep our pace.” He turned, climbing down from the summit. Zarkon followed.

  
——

 

“I would like you to meet somebody of great character for you.” Francis told Allura. “She states that she knows you well.”

“Well let us see her then.” Allura said, petting Vitani, who had taken a place on her shoulder. She grew to love that wolf within the past few hours. She already forgave it for making her room a wreck that morning.

They walked outside in the gardens, ones of the most able of beauty. They were even stated to be more beautiful than the Garden of Eden, which would quite believable. Many colors filled Allura’s vision, many sweet scents filled her lungs. A sparkling icy blue creek ran through the center, snaking around under a wooden bridge that sat below the water fall of a small cliff.

“I have mentored her, just as I am mentoring you. She tends to dwell in the rose garden, up ahead.” She said. Allura then saw the girl she must’ve been talking about.

She was a small child, looking to be around nine or ten years old. She had brown hair that touched her shoulders, brown eyes, and olive skin. She also had small pointed ears and Altean markings, purple and deviated like Lotor’s. She sat in the grass, a book in her lap, right there for her to read it.

“Greetings, Belle.” Francis said. The girl looked up and searched for the voice, and as soon as she spotted Allura she gasped, dropping the book on the ground and running right towards her.

Allura braced for the impact, catching the child right when she flung herself into her arms. Vitani hopped down from her shoulder, watching this from the ground in great wonder. “Allura, I’ve missed you.” Belle exclaimed. Allura hugged her, not knowing what else to do. She looked to Francis for guidance, but she just smiled at her.

The child then tensed up, realizing something. She backed out of the embrace, looking up at Allura, her lightly freckled nose scrunching and her eyes widening. “Wait. You’re not my Allura. You’re someone else.”

“I am afraid I do not know you, yes.” She said to the child. Belle’s face dropped, and she rocked back and forth on her heels.

“Well it’s nice to meet you, I guess.” She huffed, a sudden spark of attitude hitting her.

Francis ruffled her hair. “Belle, it would be best if you treat her just like you treat your Allura. Your Allura’s spirit will join her own one day. Allura, this is Belle. She is actually a prophet.”

“Well I’m a prophet who never really got to fulfill my deed. So, I’m more of a disappointment. But I do like reading. So I’m a reader now. Now go away. You both are gonna make me mad if you interrupt my reading again.” She walked back towards her book, picking it up. She dusted off her green dress and assumed the same position she was in before, like she never even moved.

Francis sighed. “The child still needs some guidance. She is nine years old, and she can be very wayward, and very sarcastic.”

“What do you mean by her being a prophet?”

“Her story is actually pretty amazing, though she does not see it in that way. She has a capacity that is far greater than any we have ever seen. She had the ability to tell the future, but when she came here the ability was severed. She will take some time to adjust to you, she can be very guarded around new people.”

“I can hear both of you!” Belle shouted from her place, not looking up from her book.

“I am aware that you can, darling.” Francis said back to her. The kid looked up, stuck her tongue out, and looked back down at the book. “Oh, and Belle? I want you to join us for supper. We are just waiting for Zarkon and Lotor to get back.”

“Do I HAVE to?”

“If you refuse, you’re grounded. I am still your parental guardian.”

“Ughhhhhhhh.”

  
Allura couldn’t help but to laugh.

  
——-

  
They were in a cave. A shortcut, actually. But still a shady ass shortcut.

The cave was lightened by light blue lines of a special kind of emerald-lapis hybrid. They were glow in the dark, and made it almost seem like they were walking underwater. The cold, damp air made it feel more of that way. They already took their second picture.

Lotor thought much about the way he was acting earlier. Why so hostile? Why was he putting up walls? He was so happy and content in the Afterlife until the new group came in, and now he was stressed. He knew full well that he was not to be stressed. He was a hypocrite for urging the others that they were not to feel sad that they were there. He knew his mistake.

He was not going to repeat what he did in his first life. There was nothing more to protect. He was completely immortal here, feeling pain was impossible, and everyone understood that people were flawed and that was okay. He seemed to be the only one who didn’t completely understand that, and it started with his father.

He needed to fix this.

“Father,” he spoke, the damp air welcoming itself into his throat, almost causing him to cough. “I would like to apologize for my attitude earlier. I am actually fairly enjoying this expedition with you. Every time I walk down this path, I cannot help but feel amazed.”

“I am going to admit something to you right now.” Zarkon said. “I am enjoying this journey. I do not enjoy the nature of it, however, I enjoy just being able to watch you observe. Even when I was corrupted I was fascinated with how much a child could enjoy his surroundings, when you were young of course. I was envious.”

“You were envious?”

“Yes.” He confirmed.

Lotor didn’t reply, only laid his hand against the cold stone wall. “I want to show you something.”   
The emerald lapis started to glow very bright, forcing Zarkon to squint from out bright it was. Eventually all gave out to nothing but a white void. He was freaked out, but saw that Lotor was there next to him, which made him keep his cool. No matter how far he looked off, it was still just white. “Do not be frightened. I do this all of the time. This is the center of memories, the ones in which these mountains hold.” Lotor’s voice echoed into nothingness. “Go ahead. Think of something. An event, from the reality we came from.”

Zarkon closed his eyes. He thought of one of his favorite memories.

Him and Honerva’s wedding day.

When he opened his eyes back up, they were in the grand chapel of the castle of Daibazaal, sitting in the pews together. The first thing he searched for was his wife. He saw himself up in the front, straightening out his suit nervously. Lotor watched in wonder. He had never seen this before, this was long before he was actually born.

The doors in the back opened, and everyone stood. Lotor silently signaled him to keep sitting, that no one in the room could see them. Out came Honerva from the doors, wearing a beautiful purple and white gown. She was young. She was absolutely gorgeous.

They faded out back into the white void. “How did that work?!” He questioned urgently.

Lotor grinned, feeling happy from seeing that memory. “I have been in many of different magical voids. In one of them I battled a lion. The center of our existence comes together in this void and gives access to all of history, of all of time. It knows all. When you think of a certain memory, it gives it to you. It’s a feat that no science can explain.”

“Show me one of your memories.” His father said.

Lotor tried to think of which one. He was trying to think of a happier one, trying not to ruin the mood. The first one that came to mind was one from hours just before he had perished. The kiss with Allura.

They were now in the hanger of the Castle of Lions, which was then destroyed. A lot happened in that one day. He looked at the comet ship, in which he saw he was on the elevation panel next to it, holding his and out. Allura emerged from the cockpit of the ship, climbing over the edge and hopping down. He caught her, and as the elevation panel lowered, she looked up at him.

“This day was very sour, and a day full of misjudgment and uncontrolled sin.” Lotor said quietly, watching himself and Allura. “This was not the first time me and Allura did anything romantic, but this specific moment meant a lot to me.”

Zarkon watched intently.

“ _We accomplished something amazing today, and it would have never happened had it not been for you._ ” He heard his son say.

“ _It is a moment I will truly never forget._ ” Allura smiled up sweetly at him.

Just as they were leaning in and their lips were about to meet, the memory faded out.

Lotor was looking down at his feet, a pained look on his face.

“Allura is an incredible girl.” Zarkon noted quietly. “You still love her, don’t you?”

“Of course I do..” He whispered, shutting his eyes tightly. “Ever since she arrived here it pained me to think that I cannot love in pursuit of romance here until all of the other versions of my soul pass. You and mother do not have that issue. In every reality you have come across each other and fallen in union. With me-“ his eyes met his. “That is just not the case.”

Damn. Confessing love about a girl to a previously corrupted dictator. Now that’s a bonding moment.

“Is that the reason why you have seemed so down lately?”

Lotor took a long breath in. “No. It is because of you and mother as well. Ever since you have arrived here I have not been able to accept it. I apologize but whenever I look at you all I can think of is rage. Contempt. Confusion.”

Zarkon closed his eyes at that. He had no way of responding to it with words. He could only show him. They faded into another memory.

  
They were in a training arena. This was a very deep memory, it took Lotor a good minute to be able to process what this place was. This was where they lived back before Central Command was built.

There was Zarkon, his eyes glowing violet, his skin fractured and grey. But his face… didn’t seem evil. He had on a grin, and when Lotor’s eyes shifted downwards he saw that his father had his hands around two tiny lilac hands. There was a small toddler with white hair that stuck in all directions. The child had big blue and yellow eyes. He was taking steps out in front of him, giggling loudly. “ _Who’s going to be an absolute Emperor when they grow up? You are!_ ” The tyrant said happily.

“Although I was blind to fully accept you as my child, there were moments when I felt that I had more control over myself. I enjoyed these moments, and I had made sure you were a confident boy.” Zarkon said. When he was corrupted by the dark entity, it was almost like he was puppet, watching just about everything go down, not able to have a say in any of it. However, the first few years or so there were small moments when he was able to have just a little bit of a say.

Lotor brought in a different memory. The room faded away, and they were now in a conference room. They saw him, now around thirteen or fourteen years old, sitting at the front of the table right with Zarkon. All of the important commanders were there. “I admired you. The first time you let me accompany you made me feel like I was wanted, like I was accepted. I took the meeting to heart.” Lotor told him.

The memories both faded out. They were now back in the cave, the blue lights dimming down. They were silent for a few moments.

“I have made my dearest mistake overlooking you. I was beyond thrilled when we expected you. And I let that all go.” His father reached out and grabbed him, pulling him into a tight hug.

Lotor tensed up. He was not one for affection at all, he hated it. He never knew how to take it since he never grew up with it. It took every ounce of him not to punch him tf out. But he could feel him shaking. And he heard the tears. For the first time in days he felt a lump in his throat. This was the love that was intended for him. And now he was finally getting it.

Lotor pulled away and motioned him to keep walking. “We have all struggled. We all have committed unforgivable, permanently damaging actions. We twisted our own original tales into stories of the dark. But we can change that. I may not be able to forgive you for some of your actions. Yet I am willing to work towards prosperity once and for all. This is our second chance at life.” They arrived at the exit of the tunnel.

They were on a beach of purple sand, looking out into endless blue and black water that reflected the billions of stars beyond. It was absolutely gorgeous.

“We cannot waste this chance.” Zarkon took the camera out of his pack, handing it to Lotor. He took it, using his other hand to do a strong handshake. “This will be our third photo.”

 

 

 

 


	6. Reasons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle is an exuberant little girl. She’s full of curiosity, but also full of mischief, especially around Lotor.  
> Some things are said during dinner. Lotor and Allura talk it out, and Lotor reveals why Allura is so important to him.

Dinner was late. Every other grouping had already had their dinner. By the time dinner started, everyone was practically starving. Yet it was worth it, when Zarkon and Lotor had returned everyone noticed an immediate change in both of them. They were laughing, cracking old Galra jokes, helping pass out the food without being asked. Honerva was delighted to see this, her plan had worked. And now she had three beautiful pictures to frame and put into her room.

They had done their duty.

Allura searched the dining room for Belle, and after a good few minutes she saw her walk through the door, holding a kitten in her hands, dressed in a nice pink dress with a bow in her hair. Vitani saw the kitten and immediately started barking, and Alfor attempted to hush her down.

“Welcome, Belle.” Francis said.

“I still can’t believe you made me wear this stupid dress. And why the bow? This outfit is itchy.” Belle told her.

Francis pet the kitten’s head. “Because, Belle, you need to look presentable. The celebration of the newcomers is not yet over. Every night we will have a formal dinner. And you look beautiful.”

Belle rolled her eyes, walking up to the table and sitting down right next to Allura.

“And who’s this little somebody?” Allura scratched the chin of the kitten.

“This is Momo. He’s my cat in one of the realities I’m still living in. Only this time he’s not old and fat.” She set the kitten on the table. Then she caught eyes were Lotor. “You!” She shot up, pointing.

Lotor froze. “Oh no.”

“I’m still mad at you!” She exclaimed, causing everybody to look. “My sister would never shut up about you, she drew you on MY mirror, she wrote a song about you and NEVER shut up about it!”

“May I ask how you know of each other?” Blaytz asked, entertained yet confused.

“I was in a relationship with a girl in one of the realities. She was the older sister of little miss Belle right here.” Lotor said.

“Wait-“ Allura snorted. “Are you speaking of the one with the archive called ‘Lotorforlyfe’?”

Lotor nodded his head in shame.

“Oh, this is golden!” Gyrgan clasped his hands together.

“Unfortunately I’m still alive in that reality! And I’m still suffering! Every day it’s ‘Lotor this, Lotor that’!!” Belle yelled, stomping her foot at Lotor. “You ruined my life!”

Lotor pinched his forehead, sighing. “Belle… I am sorry but that is out of my-“

“Shut up, mister grape man!” She said. “You better sleep with one eye open!”

Lotor kneeled down, getting right in her face, impatient and angry. “You are a child. Your threats are inferior.”

“I don’t know what inferior means so your threats mean nothing to me!”

“Okay, that is enough, you two. It is time to be seated.” Francis said. “Dinner is served.”

“Funny kid.” Blaytz whispered over to Alfor.

  
During dinner, Belle sat directly across from Lotor. Every once in awhile she would kick his foot under the table, not too hard, just a small kick to annoy him. He would flash her a dirty look and she would only smile and laugh- it encouraged her to keep doing it. It wasn’t long until conversation stopped and everyone was watching this, entertained by the child entertaining herself.

If you had to describe the relationship between Lotor and Belle, it had to be one of two siblings. Remember Wreck it Ralph and Vanelope Van Schweetz? Kinda like that.

After about two minutes, she kicked him really hard. He almost yelped. “Okay, what do you WANT child??”

She giggled. “I was just going to let you know that your ex right here? She’s pretty.” She nodded her head towards Allura. Allura blushed wildly. So did he. “I was going through some reality logs earlier.” She went on. “I was looking at your reality that you grew up in because it’s wild and there’s always battles and stuff. You two loved each other. Do you still love each other or are you over it?”

“Ooooo….” literally the whole table said. Alfor and Zarkon looked at each other. Damn, their children really did have a whole ass thing going on.

“Better give that kid the tea, Lotor.” Blaytz said.

“You know it is not fitting for a prince to not respond to a question.” Trigel teased.

Lotor looked at Allura. He sighed. “Do I still care for Allura? Of course I do. I care that she is happy.”

“But do you still love each other?” Belle pressed.

“Belle, it is impolite to intrude. He has spoken.” Francis said. She didn’t want anyone to be uncomfortable. And as her parental gaurdian and mentor it was her job to keep the child in check because she knew that Belle’s abilities to cause mischief were impeccable.

“No, no. It is alright. She is only a child.” Allura said. “It is okay for a child to be curious. Lotor and I have parted ways. Yet I can certainly say that I am very fond of him.”

“OOOO THIS TEA PIPIN’ HOT.” Blaytz clasped his hands together.

“Blaytz!” Everyone in the room yelled.

“No. I am talking about my tea.” He held up his tea cup.

Dinner continued on, Belle sat there quietly, twiddling her fingers.

  
Lotor and Allura stayed back to clean up the table, and she was still there in her seat, blankly staring at her unfinished plate. “Belle, perhaps it is best that you finish your food.” Allura tried.

The girl remained still.

“You know, one night we can make a dessert together. Do you know how to bake?”

“I’m practicing my telekinesis.” Belle whispered.

Lotor gave Allura a funny glance in reference to what the kid just said. “You know, Belle. If you focus too hard on an action you may get a little too caught up in it. You’ll waste your energy.” He saw that she was staring at her glass. She was probably trying to move that. He put his finger to the glass and lightly pushed it away.

“Hey!” She huffed, crossing her arms and slumping in the chair. “You messed it up. I was about to do it!”

He kneeled down next to her, talking softly. “Look at the glass. I moved it to the left, did I not?”

“You did. And it was _annoying_.”

“But now try and focus in on it. Move it back to the right.” He said kindly. Allura watched this. Lotor? Good with children?

She leaned forward, squinting. After a few seconds of her focusing really hard, the glass moved a fraction of an inch. She let go of the breath she was holding and smiled. Allura’s eyes widened, shocked that such a feat occurred. Belle did have unique abilities. Telekinesis was probably one of many.

“See how easy it was?” He spoke. “When I nudged the glass, it had absorbed the energy for just a split second. When your mind caught and held onto that pent up energy, you were able to move it. Sometimes you need a little boost.”

“Amazing…” Allura breathed. Lotor and Belle looked up at her, smiles on both their faces. “I mean, I just have never seen telekinesis before. I have seen other magical feats, but not that.”

Belle stood and giggled, running off. “I’m gonna go try it with some other things!” She ran through the grand door and shut it closed. She ran back in to get her kitten out from under her chair, then bolted out again, slamming the door harder than the first time. 

“So,” Allura crossed her arms, smirking. “I hadn’t known you were so good with children.”

Lotor got up, continuing to pick up the dishes. “She can be quite bothersome. Yet there is no denying there isn’t something special about her. My grandmother and I have both been working together to try and exploit her super abilities. She has been having issues believing in herself, yet her IQ is much higher than even my mother’s.”

Allura didn’t say anything. Only pondered. She wanted to get to know Belle a little more.

 

Later Lotor invited Allura into his room. Not to do anything they would have done whilst they were dating, but more of to show her something.

Yet what he first said as soon as he shut the door set Allura off.

“We need to settle this now.” He said sharply. “Do we still have feelings for each other or not?” He looked over at his bookshelf, running his fingers across the spines of the collections he had.

She almost gasped. “How could I possibly- _we_ possibly be in a relationship?” This directly traced back to the things said at dinner. “Have you not noticed? We’re dead.”

He sighed deeply. “I fully understand.” He went to pull a book off the shelf. “You have lost your friends just as much as they have lost you. I realize you mourn, yet if it was not for your sacrifice, the many other realities would not exist. You saved all the realities in which I have a much happier life. When I pass in those realities, those pieces of my soul will return to me, enlightening me with experiences that I have longed for. The same will happen to you.” He handed the small book to Allura, who rose her eyebrow.

“What is it?” It was a journal, one made of old leather and paper. It was tearing at the ends from it’s amount of use, and it felt rough and flimsy in her hands. She opened it.

“This is a log book of Reality X-2. The reality in which we had discussed the other night.”

Reality X-2. She could not forget it. When the first picture she had spotted in the journal came to sight, she knew the point he was trying to get to. This was the reality that was an alternate ending to the mess that occurred the day of the Quintessence Field battle. The picture she opened the book to was a picture of her- pregnant.

“This is what you saved when you sacrificed yourself, Allura.” He said softly. “My deepest desires. _Having a family_.”

The next picture she saw was her laying in a hospital bed next to him, and in her arms was a swaddled newborn infant with his skin color, and her hair. They both looked so calm and at peace, and it hit her that she longed for that. When they were dating, she was confident she wanted to have a life with him.

He smiled graciously. “Two sons, two daughters. All amazing. All very beautiful. Just like their mother.”

She had tears in her eyes. Happy ones. She sniffled, a tear landing down on one photo of two twins. The descriptions were written in Lotor’s handwriting, and when she read them, that only made her want to cry more.

  
_I wish the best upon these children, although I could never meet them in immediate time, I continue to watch them grow. I do hope one day Allura, the Allura who has gone on without me, will experience the miracles that the other piece of her soul has created within her own body._

  
“Lotor…” she closed the book, handing it back to him. “Is this not the only reality where you have started a family?”

He placed the book back onto the shelf, grabbing her hands. The way his tone was- his face, it was all genuine. “Reality X-2 is the only reality in which I have truly fallen in love. With you. Those children are very special. After looking at all the circumstances of my life in all of the other realities, it is quite impossible that they would be in any other reality except in that one. I protect reality X-2 with my very being. I want them to grow up happier than I ever have.”

Allura’s heart swelled.

Lotor was meant to be a father.

That was obvious.

And the reason why he showed her this was for giving a confirmation that he did have feelings for her.

She looked up at him, she could see tears threatening to fill his eyes as well. She had never seen him cry. After seeing just how happy he was when she first arrived versus the past few days when he had been working things out with people she knew that his emotions would come out at some point. “I still love you. Every piece of you, no matter how flawed.” She said with confidence.

“I have never stopped loving you.” He said.

Now, look.

Before I go on, I would like to say that Allura and Lotor swore up and down that they would not experience each other romantically. Allura and Lance were a thing before the sacrifice, and she knew she needed to move on and so did he, yet she still felt conflicted.

And Love was forbidden in the Final Reality. That could cause major catastrophe if not handled well. You’ll see what I mean later.

Yet this moment brought out something much bigger than they intended. Allura realized her deepest desire was the exact same as his was.

They leaned in close, comfortably, and naturally. When their lips met, it was all too familiar and even more. He brought a hand up to caress her face, deepening the kiss. Their lips moved together slowly, whisper soft.

Allura stopped the kiss, leaning her head into his neck. “I needed that.”

“We needed that.” He mouthed, not sure if she heard.

They stayed that way for endless moments.

The door opened, and they jumped apart. When they looked, nobody was there, yet when they looked down they saw Vitani.

The puppy had a small note on her back, wrapped to her with a red ribbon. There were stickers and sparkles all over it. It looked like a child’s art project.

“This is the wolf I had gifted for you yet…” Lotor was confusion. “I do not recall a note.”

Allura laughed. “I would never expect you to use pink sparkles and glitter on an art project, Lo.” She knelt down, untying the ribbon and looking at the note. Lotor hovered over her, wanting to know what the note was of as well.

There were two stick figures holding hands. One was purple and the other pink. In big messy handwriting it had said ‘Lotor x Allura. The bridge between afterlives :)’.”

At the bottom of the note, it was signed ‘Belle.’

 

 

 

 

 


	7. The Ceremony of Joining

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor gets invited to participate in his first Ceremony of Joining, a ritual that combines him with the memories of himself from a different reality. Lady Azaria (the head ruler) also cautions Lotor and Allura’s romantic antics.   
> Allura asks Lotor if he could help her get full closure with her recent breakup with Lance. He agrees.

  
Allura woke up the next day feeling an unusual peace. Sunlight beamed through the glass of her window, air fuzzies were floating in the warm golden glow of the room. She sat up and stretched, pushing a piece of her bed head behind her ear. She then laid back down.

But then she realized this wasn’t her room. She looked down to the floor to see Lotor lying there on his stomach with a blanket lazily draped over him. Vitani was curled up and sleeping on the small of his back.

They talked for hours last night. They talked about their lives back in reality, just as they used to. She was beginning to fall asleep and he allowed her the bed, yet did not feel as though they were together enough to share it. He took the floor.

His eyes were shut delicately, his lips parted. His breaths were slow and even. His white hair picked up the small fissures of light, only adding onto the strong angelic tone of his face.

She stared down at him, studying him. Within the soundness of his sleep, there was uneasiness. His eyebrows would furrow then relax. The corner of his mouth would twitch. He was having a very active dream, or some sort of a nightmare. He shot awake, looking up at her, breathing heavily.

She felt her heart almost stop. His obsidian blue eyes were hooded, staring directly into hers as he was almost panting. It reminded her of one time-

Yeah. She wasn’t going to really think about that.

“Are you alright?” She asked. “Did you have a bad dream?”

He looked to see that Vitani was laying on his back, and he slowly moved so he wouldn’t hurt the puppy at he sat up, holding his head. “It is fine, Princess.”

Suddenly they heard a beep. “Preparing for a transmission.” They heard a smooth mechanical voice say. They searched for where it was coming from, but both almost jumped when a blue holographic screen popped up right in front of the door.

It was a lady. They’ve seen her around. She was angelic, defined cheekbones were withheld on glowing grey skin, with silver curls reaching to her shoulders. She looked like a beautiful stone statue, frozen in time. “I apologize for the intrusion. This is a reminder that two individuals are not to share dwellings unless permitted. Neither of you are permitted to sleep outside of your dwelling with any individuals. It may cause… unwanted wants.”

“I am aware.” Lotor said to her.

“Yet is Allura aware? I notice that she is still new.”

“Hello, Miss… uh..” Allura waved.

“I am Azaria. I am the head of this land. My title runs as second in existence itself. I am in charge of keeping everything in check around here to ensure that all will be safe and all of the living realities will remain protected and on track of their inevitabilities.” She said.

“I sincerely apologize. I had not known.” Allura said. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“It is all okay, my dear. We expect for you to not know your way around things for quite some time. Mistakes are always forgivable. Now you are probably thinking that the reason I intruded on your privacy in the wake of day was to point out that you are breaking a solid rule, yet that is not the full case. Mister Sincline, you are invited to a Ceremony of Joining. It will be your very first one. In this ceremony, you will be accepting a new piece of your soul. You have passed in Reality M-1, and depending on if you wish to receive those memories or not, you will be experiencing a whole new life within the blink of an eye.” Azaria bowed her head. “However, you must show up to the ceremony regardless of preference in your decision. It will take place when the first sun sets.”

The hologram disappeared. They both let out a breath they had not known they were holding.

“She is a very strict woman.” He mumbled.

“Are we not to sleep together at all?” She sat up, yawning.

“She believes that it shows too much of a romantic presence. You are only permitted to in few cases. The case does not belong to us.” He kind of looked sad. “Funny… with you in here I was actually able to rest.”

She felt a ping in her chest. “What are the consequences?”

“There are none. The consequences are natural. They directly affect us. She would just keep reminding us until it becomes such a nagging occurrence that we would have to stop.”

“You feel that way?”

“Well, no. I do not care for how much she may be in our ears. That will not change that feeling I have.” He reassured.

  
—

  
Everyone was there. Every single inhabitant of the Final Reality attended.

They all sat in the pews of the cathedral, watching Lotor in the front. He maintained composure, even though he verbally confessed to Allura earlier that he was nervous. He wore a black cloak, the hood coming just over his eyes. The top leaders were at the front, getting everything set up. A strange yet elegant chest, strongly locked with a heavy golden plate at it’s front, a vase of water that glimmered so pure, and a bowl of ash. These items were set on a long table in front of where Lotor stood. Apparently these items can vary among each person. Sometimes there was only a bowl of ash present. The chest was rare, and the water was always there.

After they were all done setting up and the leaders stood in their places at the top of the platform, everyone stood.

Allura and the other new arrivals copied what the others were doing. His would be the first ceremony they would witness.

“Will this harm him?” Honerva whispered over to Zarkon.

“I am not yet sure. Pain is not something that one can experience here, is it?” He whispered back.

“My mother said something about this being painful.”

Hearing that made Allura sweat. It’s been only a day since she’s forgiven him, yet she still worried to death. Whatever this was, this was a normal thing. Surely nothing was wrong with it.

“This is a Ceremony of Joining.” Lady Azaria, the woman from earlier announced. “For Lotor Sincline. In every reality, the different pieces of Lotor display the same naturally good will and desire to achieve heights of the great beyond. People admire his courage, and his perseverance.”

When she said that, a memory came up in the air, it’s entity translucent in the light coming through the windows. There was a little boy giggling, holding a billion flowers in his tiny grasp. It was Lotor from a completely different reality. Another memory came up of teenage Lotor, laughing with friends, dressed in casual clothing while they seemed to be in a public school. Another showed Lotor, oh- Allura almost laughed. This one was old, wrinkles on his face, petting a cat. Plus he was balding.

The memories disappeared. “These are memories from Realities A-3, G-1, and H. Yet the piece of his soul awaiting judgement today is from Reality N-2.” A memory came up of Lotor, he had to be around his thirties or forties in a human sense. He wore ski gear, a confident smile on his face. “He tragically passed of hyperthermia. In this life, he was an explorer. He and his family lived together happily, owning an art school and living outside of royal life.” Lady Azaria said. She turned to Lotor. “Lotor Koltarius Sincline. You know of the results that will happen. This is your first time accepting a piece of your being that you have never experienced. There are other versions of your soul that have passed long before you but have never made it into this realm. You were the breakthrough for you being. You were the selection.” She laid a hand on his head as he kneeled down in front of her. “You will receive all of his memories, all of his feelings, and all of his judgements. It may just change you from the way that you are now. Yet you will remain your age, will keep the memories that you currently have. In order to achieve your final enlightenment, and to have a chance to get the pieces of your soul that have passed long ago, you must accept N-2. You may turn down my offer.”

“I choose not to.” He said.

“Then I bring Count Francis to continue on with the ceremony.”

Francis stepped from her place in line, giving her speech. “Lotor is my grandson. Daughter of the Great Honerva. There is no denial that he is intelligent, with the ability to see beyond. I see greatness.” She picked up the bowl of ashes. “These are the ashes of his body, taken from the living realm.” She took some on her fingers, spreading it across his forehead.

“Ewwwww…” Everyone heard Belle say from the front of the audience. They couldn’t help but to laugh. Lotor was visibly sighing. Lady Azaria was shaking her head. You really can’t take a child to anything important.

The Official, a man wearing a fancy green suit with a blank grey mask over his face spoke next. He took the vase of water. “This water is the purest of it’s form. It’s entity comes from the beginning of time. It is full of healing properties, as well as the ability to create or fuse spirits.” He began to pour the water on top of his head, flattening his white hair down, turning it wet and grey. His Altean markings appeared on his face. He squinted, scrunching his nose, making Honerva silently snicker in her seat at the sight of her son’s displeasure at being wet. Lotor hated when his hair got wet.

She was becoming such a mom.

“Now Lotor, you may rise. I present to you the key of life.” The Official held up a key. This key matched it’s owner- the chest. It was golden, having intricate detail in its design. It looked very bold yet so delicate at the same time. Lotor stood, taking the key.

He stepped over to the chest, putting the key into the lock. Allura saw the nervousness. He was practically shaking. He let out a breath, turning the key and opening the chest.

A spirit flew out of it. It was black with two yellow antennas protruding from it’s little eyes. It looked just like the spirits Honerva had trapped in her mind. It flew upwards into a loop, diving right down into Lotor’s chest. He yelled, his body beginning to glow. He took a knee.

Honerva got up, but Zarkon grabbed her wrist to stop her. “Just wait…”

Everyone watched in silence until he stood up slowly, turning around at them. His eyes blinked, and he pushed wet strands of water from his face. “I feel… nothing.” He said, but then he gasped, his eyes shooting wide. They began to glow white.

Around him, memories visibly bursted. Memories from the life of the other part of his total soul. There were ones of him as a child learning how to snowboard, another as a teenager having a first kiss with a girl. All these memories flooded into him.

After they disappeared, everyone began to clap. Lotor was released from the hold, and he breathed heavily as he did his best to stand and continue keeping his cool composure. He looked strained, but then at peace.

Lady Azaria bowed to him. “Congratulations. You have successfully captured this life.”

He bowed back to her.

Allura wondered just how much he was going to be changed after this.

—

  
After the ceremony there was a reception. It was like a ball, only it was several cultures mixed into one. It took place in the grand hall of the main temple. Everyone wore their best clothes. Blaytz, Gyrgan, Allura, Alfor, and Zarkon were all standing together.

“Sooooo…” Blaytz nudged Lotor. “You like a whole different person now or?”

Lotor smiled, taking a sip of wine. “Actually, I feel the same. Just that I have more memories and experiences to think about. Lady Azaria told me before the ceremony that the life I first arrived with will always be my dominant one.”

“Do you like the memories from your other life?” Gyrgan asked.

“Well.. yes. Quite an enjoyable life. I grew up outside of royalty and lived casually among a middle class family. I even had a younger brother named Zaal. He is still alive and well.”  
Allura couldn’t stop staring at Lotor’s face. He noticed, turning his attention towards her. “What is it, Allura?”

“Nothing. Just that you still have a bit of ash on your forehead.” She reached up and swiped a bit of dead Lotor body ash that was still on his face. When she did this they caught each other’s eyes, freezing. They were just staring.

“Well would you look at that, Alfor!” Zarkon said.

Allura jumped, moving away. “We- I was just-“

“Just w h a t?” Alfor smirked, knowing fully well that she deadass had feelings for Lotor.

They then saw Belle, running up to them. She was holding a chubby shirtless kid’s wrist, pulling him through the crowd. “Here he is!” She announced. She let go, pushing him towards Lotor.

The chubby shirtless kid walked up to him. “Yo, Lotor! I know you. You pretty lit.” He held up his hand for a high five. Lotor stared at it, confused out of his life.

“Like this.” Belle said, demonstrating by high fiving the kid. “Now you try it.”

The kid still held his hand up. Lotor cautiously touched his palm to his. “Is this a kid thing?”

“Certainly not a Galra thing.” Allura snickered.

“Welp. You tried your best, man. See you around!” The kid continued to walk.

“... Why did he have no shirt on?” Lotor mumbled.

“That’s Gibby. I yelled at him because he stomped in my plants the other day. We’re cool now. I always wonder what Gibby is thinking about.” Belle ran off, chasing after him.

They all look at each other and shivered.

Honerva came up to the group. She wore a long and beautiful purple and gold gown, almost like the one from her wedding day. She tugged on Zarkon’s arm, smiling up to him. “Dance with me.” She said.

Waltz music was going. Some people were on the dance floor, participating in it.

Zarkon smiled, giving her a kiss on the head. “With joy.” He took her hand. They walked out onto the floor, taking their first steps.

Blaytz stared out at them. “Maybe you can go out their and give your girl your dance.” He said to Lotor, gesturing his head to Allura.

She could feel herself turn red. “Yet is that against the rules? Honerva and Zarkon were permitted to be together. Lotor and I-“

Lotor took her hand. Chills went up her arm. “For this it is only partnership in an activity. We may dance. I wish to dance with you.” He wasn’t going to miss his chance. There was a sense of desperation on his face.

She squeezed his hand. “So we will not get in trouble?”

“No, we will not.” He assured.

“Do it! Go out there! Have fun!” Alfor encouraged them. Alfor shipped allurance. Yet he also shipped lotura. Actually, he just wanted to see his daughter happy. Down to their cores Lotor and Lance were both wonderful guys.

Lotor pulled her out onto the floor, holding her hands up. They used to dance together all of the time.

Nothing changed with it, really. The one thing that struck Allura the most with it’s familiar feel was the way he looked down at her. His eyes were dark and elegant, his lips were pulled upwards and delicate. Soft.

She remembered the first time they did this. They were back in the Castle of Lions on the training deck. That was actually where they had their first kiss. He put a hand on her cheek and the next thing she knew they stopped dancing and his lips were suddenly on hers.

Now they wouldn’t be able to do that. But she wanted to feel it again. She ached for it.

However, soon into the dance he was starting to slow down and fall behind the music. There was a pained look on his face. The markings on his cheekbones reappeared and were flickering. That meant that the Altean was in a great amount of pain. She stopped. “Are you alright?”

He looked down at her. “My chest hurts, I am afraid.”

She remembered during the ceremony the spirit literally dove into his chest. She could still hear his scream of agony. “Perhaps it was the ceremony. Maybe you need a healing session.”

“Nobody here knows how to heal. Pain is never felt here in the Afterlife. Only after ceremonies. It is no matter, it was worth receiving new memories today.”

She laid a hand onto his chest. His heart was racing. “I know how to do it. We can go back to your dwelling and I can help you. We could relieve your pain.”

His lips pinched. “Very well.”

  
—-

  
Allura places a hand onto his chest, feeling his heartbeat at her nimble fingers.

They were in Lotor’s room again. Vitani was sleeping on his bed. Quiet music was playing, alternative music that was there to help get him to sleep each night. He breathed out, almost leaning his chin down on her head. Her hands felt cool against his chest, her fingers radiating soothing energy. 

The markings on his chest began to glow neon purple beneath her hand, yet only for a few split seconds. The markings were shaped like mirroring crescents, a curved star in the center. These were entirely new markings, probably from the ceremony earlier. She had seen every part of him before, and has seen him in arousal when his markings would all reveal.

Yet this wasn’t arousal. This wasn’t lust. This was her healing him. His arms wrapped around her waist, his head lolling onto her shoulder. He let out a shaky whisper. “May we just be?”

“Be?” She turned her head to kiss his ear.

“I want to just.. breathe you. To know you again.” He said. “Am I not to know of angels?”

“You are to know of me, but I am no angel.”

“I beg to differ.” He pulled away, giving her a small smirk. His eyes were suddenly daring. The healing worked because he was obviously in a lot less pain. “Angelicy is a feat that few can achieve, and you, my dear, have achieved it well.”

Her cheeks warmed. Just as he said that, he leaned in and met her lips in a passionate kiss. They moved them together, hands coursing through hair, hips pulling together.

But Lotor suddenly stopped, separating himself from her. “No. This is wrong.” He said.

“I’m sorry.” She said.

“No, it is not your fault. I feel that even though we will not get into trouble, we may actually face the consequences. I do not want you to feel hurt or conflicted over me.”

“Is this about Lance?” She asked.

He nodded. “Yes. I told you I do not want to intrude.”

“Lotor.” She said. “With the amount of time dilation and discrepancies that separate our time with their time, they could be years ahead of us. It was inevitable that Lance and I split. And you do not need to feel sorry for that. Lance needs to find somebody new in his life because like I said, he deserves it.”

Then she realized.

She was completely torn. She put her face in her hands. “I am completely, totally, utterly, _terrible_. Lotor, I still have feelings for him. I know he and I broke up but you are right. This is hurting me and it is hurting you. I need to be able to see how he is doing right now. You know a lot about this looking into realities stuff. Will you help me? I need closure.”

Lotor nodded. “It will be my honor.” He was sincere.

She liked that about him. He was always patient and collected. He saw things in a broader aspect. This situation should have been very awkward, literally it was her talking to him about how she still felt for the guy who was a rebound from him, but he understood. Usually the first thing people think about upon arrival is if they had enough closure or not, and a lot of times that’s a major deal for someone who died out of an active relationship. Lotor understood fully that Allura deserved a man who would comfort her and guide her, and while they were living he was obviously not in a good mental state and a head of war. He accepted the fact that it just was not him at the time and it was Lance.

But that didn’t break the fact that he still loved her and had romantic feelings for her. Yet above all, he just wanted her happy. She was happy with Lance. He was happy because she was happy.

And now he was going to help her through this and get the closure she needed. And that would start by them observing how the paladins were doing right then in the living realm.

He grabbed a book off his shelf, labeled ‘X-1’. He opened it. “Are you ready? We’re about to jump into the reality ourselves. We will possess the bodies of two guards in the New Castle of Lions.”

“ _Possess_? Are you insane? That’s well against the rules!” She was shook.

“Then we must never speak of it.” He winked. “Shall we?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	8. Possession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor and Allura possess the bodies of two guards as a pathway to seeing into the paladins’ lives, specifically focusing on Keith and Lance’s growing interaction in order to help Allura let some things go.   
> Lotor and Allura get into an argument over Belle, which leads to a very shocking confession and sudden realizations about the child and about just how dangerous the Finald Reality actually is.

When they made it into Reality X-1, they obviously succeeded in possessing guards. Allura was a very Altean tall guy. When she looked down at the floor she almost screamed from how high up she was. She looked in the mirror and saw that she was also old and ugly. At that, she did scream.

They were in an Altean hallway, one from the Castle of Lions. Coran must’ve built the new one exactly like the old one to honor his pop-pop. Everything down to it’s final detail was the exact same, which was both heartwarming and impressive.

She looked over to the guard next to her. He was short and fat, obviously Altean, and had a look on his face that just screamed that he was 100% done. He looked up at her, raising his eyebrows.

Lotor. He was inside that person’s body.

She almost laughed. Okay no, she couldn’t help it, she did laugh. He had to be five feet tall now at the most.

“We will go this way.” He said to her. They looked back and forth down each side of the hallway making sure the coast was clear, then they began quietly speed walking down the hall. Allura looked around during this time, taking in good memories while she could. They came up to a gallery, one full of pictures that were entirely new. In Altean there was a sign that read ‘Legendary Defenders’.

She stopped. “Wait.” She whispered.

He stopped. “Allura, we do not have much time before we get booted.” They were limited. Soon the bodies would kick their souls out and they would be back in the Final Reality.

“What if they aren’t even here? Do you even know if they’re here, or off in another galaxy, or back on Earth, or perhaps in another universe?” She said.

He was silent. “We can look for clues.”

“No. Our clues are already right here.” She said, laying her hand on the description pamphlet. The pamphlet read:

  
_Thanks to the sacrifice of Princess Allura of Altea and Empress Honerva of Daibazaal, the 10,000 year war was finally put to an end. These are the Paladins of Voltron, the six individuals who have aided and saved billions of lives in the span of just a few years. Together not only did they defend, but they’ve discovered. They have discovered many different resources and methods to use with the end of the war.  
The paladins may not fight anymore, but they continue to travel and help the smaller problems of our universe and continue to protect what we have worked so hard for. We thank Takashi Shirogane, Keith Kogane, Lance McClain, Hunk Garrett, Katie Holt, and of course Princess Allura for our safety and prosperity, in which we continue to strive for._

  
Her hand began to glow beneath the pamphlet, and she grabbed Lotor’s hand into hers. They were together blasted into a black void. Wonderful. Another freaking void.

They were back in their own bodies,but they were transparent, their own conscious entities “Ha, so much for possession.” She said slyly to Lotor.

He was in awe. “You continue to amaze me, but where are we?”

“I’m not sure. The pamphlet was telling me to do it.” She said. “Maybe since the gallery was about the paladins that means this void is about the paladins. Maybe we can trigger visions of what they are doing now.” Her voice was echoing into nowhere. She closed her eyes. “Think. What do you think they would be doing right now?”

A vision bursted into Lotor’s vision. It was frozen, a picture of obviously older Lance, Hunk, and Pidge around a table. They were all happy, laughing while holding drinks in their hands.

Allura opened her eyes, seeing this. She began to walk forward into it, and Lotor followed.

When they walked into it, they were in a city in front of a restaurant. The picture came to life, they heard cars and street performers and people talking. Outside the restaurant on the porch was Lance, Pidge, and Hunk, all having (non alcoholic) drinks.

“Can anybody see us?” She murmured. Her question was answered when a jogger literally ran right through her transparent form. “Guess not.” She said with boggled eyes. Lotor laughed very loud. She laughed as well. They walked right over to the table that the paladins were sitting at, sitting at the table next to them. They couldn’t see them, they would be up jumping and screaming if they suddenly saw their dead friend and their dead forgiven enemy just sit next to them like that. This was stalking 100.

“ _So Lance…_ ” Pidge have a side eye. “ _It’s June. Your birthday is coming up. What do you plan on doing?”_

“ _Well_..” he leaned back in his seat, thinking. _“I’ll be twenty one._ ” Dang. It’s been a good while. “ _Soooo clubs? Drinking?”_ He laughed.

“ _Only if we don’t have to carry you back at 2 am._ ” Hunk chuckled. “ _May we talk about the Keith incident back last October?”_

They all laughed.

“ _Man, I cannot believe he got banned from the bar!_ ” Pidge slammed her hand on the table.

“ _Speaking of Keith…_ ” Hunk nudged Lance. “ _Somebody has been spending a lot of extra time with him lately_.”

“ _Oh, quit it._ ” He put his glass down. “ _Keith? He’s my pal. Besides, I’m not ready to start up anything new since Allura. I haven’t hit on a single girl, let alone a guy in three years!”_

“ _But Lance. You can’t hang onto that! We got our whole lives ahead of us. We understand that you love her but I think she would want you to move on.”_

“ _How could you say that?_ ” He almost shouted. “ _She told me she would always love me.”_

Hunk put a hand on his shoulder. “ _Because she loves you, she would want you to move on. Face it, Lance. You have been a bundled up mess for the past three years. It’s not healthy.”_

He sighed, thinking. “ _Maybe… you’re right.”_

Pidge leaned in. “ _But real tea here. You have been spending a lot of time with Keith. Do you have feelings for him? You have told us you’re bi. And he’s gay._ ”

_“I may have hated Keith back when he was all grumpy mcscrumpy pants, but he’s changed a lot. And so have I. I think maybe in the back of my mind I may like him… but ONLY A LITTLE.”_

_“Date, date, date-“_ Hunk started chanting silently, getting louder when Pidge joined in.

“Date, date, date-“ Lotor silently chanted along even though they couldn’t see him. Allura gave him a perplexed look. He chuckled. “What? This would be no less than entertaining to watch.”

Their surroundings faded away, and now they were in a new setting. It was a suburban neighborhood. Allura recognized the place immediately. “Lance’s house.” She said. There were moving trucks outside in the driveway, open and already holding a lot of furniture.

“ _I’m going to miss this place._ ” Lance’s mother walked out of the house. “ _But just owning the farm is a lot easier.”_

“ _The kids like this idea.”_ His father followed her out.

“ _This was Abuelita’s house, though._ ” Rachel whined. She was sitting on the porch, boresomely playing a card game with her niece and nephew.

“I never thought they would move.” Allura said to Lotor. “This was a cozy home.” She remembered when she was in there she saw drawings on the walls, height marks in doorways, Christmas carpet stains, everything characteristic of a close family.

Lotor watched. He never met these people, but he’s met so many other families just like them. “I always wanted this kind of humble life. I had a desire for a big family and a small dwelling.”

“I as well.”

A small red car was driving out right behind them. They moved out of the way instinctively, and the car parked right beside them on the side of the road. Keith stepped out of the driver’s seat. He looked much older, taller, and bulkier. He had scruff on his chin, and longer hair tied back into a ponytail. He was dressed casually. “ _Do you all need any help?_ ” He asked.

“ _Keith_!” Sylvio and Nadia yelled, getting up from playing their card game and running through the front lawn so they could crash into Keith. He almost fell over, catching both of them.

He ruffled their hair. “ _Hey! Do you know where your Uncle Lance is?_ ”

“ _He’s still in the bathroom going on and on about how he’s so nErVoUs._ ” Nadia giggled, mocking Lance a little.

“ _Now why would he be nervous?”_

“ _Because he hasn’t been on a date in three years and he says you’re so strong and handsome and he’s no match for your ‘stupid mullet’.”_ Sylvio said.

“ _Now that does sound like Lance_.” Keith smiled warmly, looking up when he spotted Lance in the doorway. Sylvio and Nadia let go and he walked forward. “‘ _Stupid mullet’, huh?”_

Lance turned red. “ _Can we just go?”_

“ _Car’s waiting_.”

“ _Have fun, boys!_ ” Lance’s mother called out.

“ _Do they know this is a date?_ ” Keith whispered.

Lance shook his head. “ _Nope. I haven’t come out to them yet.”_

 

Lotor and Allura faded out from that setting and into a new one. It was the desert, the place where Keith grew up. At this point, they were so invested in finding out what happens that they were completely silent, watching intently. That was until Allura noticed something. “Could you feel that?”

“Feel what?” Lotor searched for where Keith and Lance might be. They must’ve been here earlier and already left.

“Here.” She took his hand, pulling off his glove. “Feel it? I can feel the temperature. It feels a lot cooler than the other places we were.”

He noticed it as well. It was a possibility that they were now interacting with the environment, and judging by how nothing was in sight, no Keith or Lance, there was an issue.

That’s when the desert began to shake, and the sand beneath their feet began to give way. They gasped, looking up to see that the sky had caught fire. The dark blue and the stars ignited, the roaring from the flames booming in their ears. Lotor grabbed Allura and pulled her in tightly as they began to fall back into a void.

Next thing they knew they were on the floor of a restaurant. They were in between two tables with families, neither one of the families noticing them. One of the families was a small one, the other one a big family. The big family had four children, the oldest a son, two little girls, and a baby.

When Lotor sat up he noticed that the baby was staring at him. He froze. “What is going on..?” He muttered to Allura, who was still on the floor. She was brave enough to wave a hand in a nearby face. The person didn’t notice her presence. But then she looked at the baby he was looking at. The baby had big brown cross eyes and a small curly brown mohawk. She looked strikingly familiar but she couldn’t put a finger on it.

It was when the baby reached out to Lotor and giggled loudly that they knew that she could see them.

Lotor was perplexed, then it hit him. “This is Belle. From this reality.”

“Are you sure of it? This is a human!” Allura didn’t want to believe it. Belle was an Altean, no doubt.

“Sometimes you may be a different species in one reality separate from the other. It is just extremely rare.” Lotor reached a hand out. When the baby grabbed it, he retracted it, standing up. “The visions are collapsing. Belle knows we are here.”

“Wait a tick, what is going on?”

“Belle has an exceptional amount of abilities. Would you question it now or rather just get out of here as quickly as possible?” He looked at her urgently. Behind him, the wall of the restaurant was already visibly crumbling to a million pieces. Who knows what disaster this was about to spiral into.

Allura got up, beginning to run. “Well then let’s go! We need to get out of this setting!”

Lotor go up and ran as well. They could feel the floor beginning to cave beneath their feet, the people were disintegrating into the wind. She gasped when he swooped her up and ran faster. Holy shit, the Galra could run fast. They were out of there within a few seconds, bursting through the front doors and out onto the street. He put her down and they continued.

Their steps came to a screeching halt when they saw Keith and Lance in the street, arms around each other, their mouths connected in a passionate kiss.

They watched this in wonder.

“So it did happen.” Lotor breathed.

Allura was shocked, but then she began to smile. Her marks began to glow, and then Lance’s marks began to glow as well. When that happened, him and Keith broke the kiss.

“ _She’s watching us_.” Keith said softly, acknowledging Lance’s glowing markings.

Lance looked saddened. _“I wonder if this makes her feel bad.”_

Lotor looked down at Allura. He put a hand on her back. “Go to them.” He said. “You can do it.”

“But-“ she looked behind her. The restaurant was in the middle of fading away, but it was frozen in the process. It was like whatever they were in was giving them a moment to do something. She knew what that was. She nodded, walking forward.

She breathed in, breathing back out. She stopped right in front of them, placing her hands on both of their heads.

“Lance.” She said. “Life goes on. Life will continue. I wish for you to be happy, and I watch you now. Happiness is not found when hanging onto what was the past that you could no longer have. I will always love you, that will never change. Your future is standing right in front of you.” She let go, stepping back. Lance looked around, and so did Keith. What she just did was speak to them. They heard her in their heads.

“ _Was that her?_ ” Keith asked.

“ _I believe so._ ” Lance said. _“Pidge and Hunk were right. I do need to move on. And that starts with you, Mullet.”_ He grinned, half from the peace he felt of hearing Allura’s voice again, and half from the warmth he felt when he was in Keith’s embrace.

Allura walked back, looking up at Lotor. “I am hoping I did not just make a mistake.”

“I do not think you did.” He pointed back. She turned, seeing them kissing again. “You just helped him with a pent up sense of pain he has been feeling for a long time. He needed that. He needs him.”

She knew there was nothing else she could do. She missed Lance terribly, but she knew above all else that she was in her afterlife. Her journey through the first life stopped when she took the sacrifice and said goodbye to him. He was already growing up very fast, and he needed somebody going at the same pace, he needed somebody to continue what once was her job of uplifting him, and that was Keith. She felt a strange feeling in her heart about this, but happiness and relief washed over her whole body.

Lotor helped her because he wanted her to be happy, and to be at peace. She needed the closure, and he just prayed that she succeeded in getting it so that way she wouldn’t have to be in so much pain over the matter anymore. When she looked back at him and shut her eyes in a long exhale, he knew he did what he promised.

Around them, the city faded away, but not destructively this time. They lived in this moment, feeling it until it’s last breath.

  
They awoke on the floor of the Castle of Lions. A woman with magenta hair was standing over them. Lotor recognized her from the colony. Merla? “Taking a nap on the job, I see? I thought I could entrust you two!”

They were back where they started, in the two guard’s bodies.

“I’m sorry.” They all heard a voice. They looked down the hall to see a little girl just standing there. “I made them take the nap.”

It was Belle. How did she get into this reality in the living realm? How was she in her own body?

“Sweetie, who are you? Are you lost?” The lady asked kindly.

“I said I made them take a nap.” Belle said slowly, a dark presence in her tone. “Do I need to repeat myself? You will forget any of this ever happened anyways.” The last sentence sounded almost robotic. The woman collapsed on the floor, completely cold.

Allura went to check her pulse, but Lotor stood, pulling Allura up on her feet. “Come on. We need to go.” He said.

 

 

The next time they blinked and opened their eyes, they were back in the Final Reality temple in Lotor’s room in their own bodies. Belle was on his bed, staring at them.

“How did you get in here?” He demanded. “Belle, I have told you many of times not to be messing with what I do.”

She shrugged. “What you do is dangerous, and you never listen to me because I’m a kid. If you keep possessing people’s bodies in the living realm you could really mess things up. I had to go in there and clear a bunch of people’s heads because they were getting suspicious of two guards just taking a nap on the floor.”

Allura looked at Lotor. “So it is dangerous, huh?”

He looked almost guilty. “We did not expect to run into that dilemma.”

“Why exactly did we have to possess those guards in the first place?”

“Because they were the first option of us becoming spies. Looking through to the realities using Francis’s teludav technology would have been first choice, but only one can go in at a time. I wanted to be there with you.”

“I could have easily looked myself.”

“But direct interaction? Your interaction was required to give Lance a real answer. We both know he needs direct answers to his insecurities. I saw it as most optimal, I was just thinking of what was best for him and for your closure, just as you said. I knew that is where you would excel in the opportunity the most, and you did.” He told her. Allura mentioned several times she wanted Lance to have closure and not just her. Now that she thought of it, without her actually interacting and straight up telling Lance ‘Yo, go ahead and date Keith’, then it would create more uncertainty, however she was also curious on how much Lotor liked to play puppet with the living.

Belle yawned. “It’s very late. And me having to save your ass was tiring. Goodnight!” She got up and tried to dart out of the room.

Lotor stopped her by grabbing her by the small backpack she was wearing and literally holding her off the ground. She pouted. “You are going to give me a straightforward answer without any sly tricks or backhanded digs. Do any of the governmentals know of what I have been doing?” He said.

“No. Why do you think I was trying to get you guys out of there? Lady Azaria isn’t stupid, Lady Azaria will find out and she will have you erased and I don’t want that because then everyone would never know you existed and I will continue to remember anyways!” She randomly began crying, throwing a whole fit. She let out a high pitched scream, kicking him in the leg really hard, causing him to drop her. She ran out of the room, slamming the door.

Allura flipped. “Lotor, that was completely inappropriate of you to act that way towards a child!” She got into his face.

He shook his head. “You do not understand. She is an incredible being. She has the power to possibly destroy everybody, yet she lacks maturity. She could unknowingly put us it danger.”

“You’re just worrying about yourself.”

“No, I am worrying about you, and I am worrying about her, and I am worrying about everybody else. Lady Azaria can get into that child’s head. Belle may think that she is helping, but that puts everyone at a greater risk. That includes you. I was just trying to aid you tonight in what you desired.”

“If she could get into her head, then can’t she get into yours? Mine? Doesn’t that make the same difference in comparison to Belle not knowing what we were doing?”

“I am not to speak of it. No one who knows is to speak of Belle’s tale.”

That’s awfully ominous.

Allura looked at him dead in the eyes in a deadly glare. His face softened. “I know you want to know of everything because of the height that your curiosity takes you. I am sorry. I am not to speak of it, no matter what. It is out of our hands anyway.”

She spoke through her teeth. She had enough. “What is this place and why is everybody so secretive? Why did she freak out and run off crying when you asked her about the governmentals? If this is such a perfect land, then why do I still feel pain? Everything is so unanswered and you’re okay with it. How come you do not care, Lotor? You used to fight for justice and now you’re just going through the motions of what you think this land is doing for you and your well being!”

His eyelids fell shut. “Because if we continue to fake it then all will remain perfect. Nobody will get hurt in the way that we did back when we were living.”

She cupped his face. “Please tell me you know there is something wrong with this place. Please. If you cared for us, for your parents, for Belle, then you would tell me. You obviously rebel against the regulations.”

He nodded slowly. “Continue to follow the rules. You remember our children that we are raising in X-2. I cannot face having that taken away. The people here can do that.”

His head fell on hers, and that is when she saw a memory. It was of four children playing tag. Eden, Zion, Xeona, and Zenon. That’s what Lotor was worried about the most.

Remember in the other chapter when he possessed the living version of him in the reality where he had a family with Allura?

If Lady Azaria could see into Belle’s head and find out that Lotor has been very illegally rebelling the rules and possessing not only himself, but other individuals in the living realm, she could take away Reality X-2. With that went his children, and his love for Allura. He regretted breaking the rules. Why didn’t he just play it safe? Perhaps it was because he ached so much to live just a little bit of his dream that he took a selfish risk.

And now he could only hope Belle wouldn’t think about what just happened. Because Lady Azaria would see all of it.

“Promise me you won’t do the ritual again.” Allura shakily whispered.

“I promise.” He said.

“Now go and apologize to Belle before she goes crying to your grandmother.”

Lotor left the room, and Allura just slid her back against the wall and sat down, feeling like she was in a whirlwind of confusion.

 

 

 

 

 


	9. Honerva and her Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Francis gets called in to talk with the leader of the realm regarding Lotor and Allura.   
> Honerva tells Belle a bedtime story- part of the tale of how she grew up with Francis. The tale may end up becoming a fundamental part of something later...

Francis was called into Lady Azaria’s office.

In one of the mountains at it’s summit just beyond the river that flowed through the capital was a base. You could tell where it was because it had huge window panes that looked off into where the sunrises were. There she would stay, overlooking the capital and all of the inhabitants. She was technically along the lines of an angel, or a goddess, yet she acted like a political leader. It was kind of odd, and that is where her magical traits ended. She was a businesswomen.

Francis was a step below becoming an Official, which was of Lady Azaria’s most trusted. She completed at gaining all pieces of her soul, living now as a complete eternal whole of her being. She obeyed Lady Azaria in everything.

Well, except one thing. You’ll see that later.

She walked up the stone steps on the side of the summit, letting out a breath as she approached the platinum door. Outside of the door was a camera and various plants. It saddened her to see these plants were dying. She offered Lady Azaria tips on gardening one time, but got nothing but backlash. They constantly clashed with one another, and while she waited for the door to open, she prayed that no arguments would come out of this visit. The door slid open, welcoming her inside.

Lady Azaria’s office was almost futuristic, maintaining an old fashion. The floors were wooden, the walls made of full white platinum. They held the most beautiful of paintings and artistry. It was built like a penthouse, including a dining room, rec room, kitchen, stairs leading up to a bedroom, and finally the office. The office had a set up of a desk and two cushioned chairs right in front of the grand window that held the clouds. She saw Lady Azaria sitting in one of the chairs, legs crossed, sipping tea out of a cup made of pure diamond. She noticed Francis, gesturing over to the other seat.

Francis walked over, smoothing out of white dress as she sat down. “So what have you called me in here for, Lady Azaria?”

She received a strange look as the lady put her tea cup down on her desk. “I have been feeling a concerning energy coming from several of the individuals you are most close with. Your grandson, especially. He has been with us for quite some time, has he not?”

“He has indeed.”

“Lotor is a very intelligent young man, noted most for the level his abilities sit at. Even though he was alive for an exceptionally longer amount of time than everybody else, he was far from even exceeding what he was born for. Take a look at those paintings over there.” She gestured over to the gallery in front of the kitchen. Francis looked over. There were several amazing paintings of various angels and landscapes, full of soft and vivid colors and blends. “Who do you think created those works?”

“That would be my grandson, Lady.”

Lady Azaria nodded. “He is amazing, a man of many talents. The Great Creator did not waste any time in making him. I feel that it is time to begin to train him further, yet we cannot do that if he is breaking certain rules. We do not want him to turn on us or anything, correct?”

“What rules is he breaking?”

“First notably the rule of simply being in love. However, I have forgiven him for that. Because it is a natural cause, there is no punishment, and you know that well. But the girl he is with- she is extraordinary. She was able to bring back all of existence along with your daughter Honerva. I am afraid that she and Lotor being together might upset the balance that we have been keeping for millions- billions- of years. They may get the wrong ideas. They may start up wrong opinions.”

“What makes you think they could possibly get wrong opinions. You know, if we are so perfect?” Francis said with a bit of edge.

“Belle.” Lady Azaria stated. She waved her hand, and a holographic screen came up on the window. It showed Belle, the little one that Francis had custody of. It showed what happened the other night after dinner, when Lotor was teaching her how to achieve telekinesis. “You grandson is the only one that is not of rank who remembers what we had to do, the sacrifice that we had to sadly make with Belle’s memories. Lately he has been trying to exploit what we covered up, and he may not realize he is doing it. He cares dearly for Belle, he views her as a niece, or perhaps a sister, or maybe even a daughter. He wants to bring her to a fuller potential yet at the same time he is hesitant, but you know him well. Despite hesitation he will still do it. But that is no matter. I do not want to have to seek the answer myself, but Belle may know something that even I do not, something regarding Lotor and Allura.”

Seek the answer herself? Francis knew what that meant. Lady Azaria knew how to access to Belle’s deepest thoughts, but when she did that it would cause the child great amounts of pain. “What are you getting at?”

“I want you to see if you can get the answer from the child directly. She has the greatest connection to you. Ask her if she knows anything about some kind of connection between Lotor and Allura.”

Francis pursed her lips in conflict. She was already thinking of all the different possibilities and all the ulterior motives of this. Judging by the fact Lady Azaria asking her to do it, she was desperate for an answer. If she didn’t bring back an answer for her, she would have no choice but to access Belle’s mind.

And nobody would want that. And nobody could stop her from doing that, because she would.

She has done it before.

“Francis.. you would not want the child to feel pain, would you?” She said stiffly.

“No.” Francis frowned.

“Then you would do this for me and bring back the truth, would you not?”

“I will.”

“That is what I like to hear.” Lady Azaria nodded. “You may leave.”

Francis got up, beginning to walk out of the penthouse. Before she had made it to the door, Lady Azaria spoke again.

“And Francis?”

“Yes?” She was already walking out, the door opening and blasting wind into her face.

“Keep an eye on your grandson. I know what he has been doing. I would not like anybody else copying his habit. If it gets to affecting anybody else, then he will face absolute consequences.”

___

  
Belle was laying in her room, her face in her pillow. “Stupid Lotor. Stupid man. He looks like a stupid grape. I’m going to cut off all of his hair. I’m going to-”

She heard the door open. She popped up. It was Honerva.

“Ever heard of knocking?”

“I apologize.” Honerva said. “Do you want me to try again, or do you want to continue to rant about my son?”

Belle frowned, pointing out the door. “Try again!” She demanded.

Honerva closed the door, waiting about five seconds, then proceeded to knock.

Belle quickly wiped her tears and sat up straight. “Come in.”

She walked back in. “I saw you crying down the hall. Were you looking for my mother?”

Belle nodded. “I wanted to talk to her, but she is never really even here. She’s always at her stupid meetings. It’s like she doesn’t even care.” She took her blanket and curled it around her.

“I can assure you that she does care about you. Ever since I have gotten here she would always bring up to me that we would bond well. She loves you.”

“Liar. She is supposed to tell me a bedtime story.”

“She is busy, and she cannot help that, but I can tell you a story of my own if it helps.”

Belle pouted for a moment, but then she obliged, laying down. “Fine. But it better be a good one.”

Honerva walked through her room, ducking so that way her head wouldn’t hit the fairy lights that hung from the ceiling. Her room was difficult to walk through. Belle liked to craft and draw the most, so there were art supplies scattered all around the floor. She had various books piled up against the walls, as well as different plants she had found outside. The walls were full of drawings of people Honerva never seen before, however, one of Lotor and Allura holding hands caught her eye, but she disregarded that. She sat down in the chair next to the bed, which was most likely the chair that her mother sat in every night to tell the kid a story.

She wanted the story to make sense to the situation, and hopefully give her advice. She knew just which one to tell.

  
_____

  
_“Oh, sweet child of mine.” Francis said, looking down at her newborn baby daughter. “Edmund, she has your golden eyes and your markings.”_

_“Well she has your kind face.” Edmund, the husband of Francis said._

_“I can tell she is very intelligent. Look at how she is already looking around the room.”_

_Honerva, even as a newborn infant, was a very observant child. She just wanted to take everything in, as she was studying her parent’s faces, and was following the patterns on the ceiling. Not to mention, she was a gorgeous baby. She had a head full of purple hair, her eyes were large and the color of honey. She was delicate._

_But it wasn’t took quickly until they have noticed something about her. When Francis held out her finger so that way the baby could wrap her hand around it, two marks on the brand new palms appeared and began to glow. They were each shaped like a crescent moon._

_As soon as they were able to bring the baby home from the hospital, she began research. She found absolutely nothing referring to randomly glowing hand marks._

_  
Honerva grew a little bit older, and while Edmund went off to work, Francis stayed home and began homeschooling her. Honerva was two, which was a bit early, but the toddler was already asking a hundred questions a day and figuring out ninety-nine of them on her own. They were questions that even Francis didn’t know. Honerva was able to figure out how to read within a matter of days, and she would drown herself in a book whenever she could. This kind of intelligence did run on her side of the family- the kind of intelligence that gave the individual an intellect far greater than average._

_  
One day Francis and four year old Honerva were in the garden outside of their small village house, the mother with a shovel in her hand and the daughter with a pack of juniberry seeds. Francis dug in a hole, placing the dirt off to the side. “Now you just pour the seeds in. Not too many, they could get too crowded and those crowded will not grow.” She pushed the sun hat out of the toddler’s eyes, the sun hat in which was way too big for the child’s head. She looked focused, gently pouring the bag. She then pushed the dirt back in, and her mother patted it down with her shovel._

_“Mommy, when this sprouts, it will bring more oxygen in the air for us, right? Through photosynthesis?” The child asked._

_“Sure will.” Francis handed a small container of water to her. She took it, pouring water over the bed. “Now let us go inside. Wash your hands and I will take you into town for lunch.”_

_Honerva popped up, excited. She sprinted to the step of the door, pushing it open. She ran through her kitchen and into the bathroom. She was in a rush to pull the little wooden stool and to step up onto it, reaching out her hands while standing on her tiptoes to pull the faucet. Cold water came out and tingled against her fingertips, and it wasn’t just from the water being cold._

_She looked down and saw her hands glowing, two crescent moon shaped red markings showed up right on her wet palms. She was wide eyed and in awe for a few seconds, then she began high pitched screaming. “Mommy! Mommy!”_

_Francis came running through the house as fast as she could, worried for her daughter. She almost slipped and fell as she caught onto the door frame of the bathroom, looking in. “Baby?”_

_Honerva showed her her palms. “My hands are mutating! I’m turning into a hybrid! I’m gonna die!” She began crying._

_The mother let out a breath of relief. She thought her daughter was seriously injured or something. “Sweetie, you’re not turning into hybrid, nor are you mutated.”_

_“Are you sure?” she pitifully sniffled._

_“Yes, Honnie, I am sure.” She gave a comforting smile, taking the child’s hands into hers. “This is just another special little part about you. It is just something that makes you unique, but you are to try and hide these, okay?”_

_Honerva flashed a conflicted look, puckering out her bottom lip. “Why do I gotta hide them?”_

_“Because there are people in the world who are afraid of those unique. There is nothing wrong with you, just that they are just not ready for your capabilities. I, however, adore this about you.”_

_____

  
“Wait.” Belle stopped Honerva from speaking. “Do your hands still glow? What does it mean?”

Honerva held out her palms. “No, they do not. Eventually that went away, and at first I never knew what they had meant. My mother knew, but she never told me. They would come and go at random, and it was quite frustrating. When it would happen I would have to shove my hands into my pockets. If I didn’t have pockets i would have to clasp them behind my back.”

Belle sat up, grabbing her hands and staring at her palms. “Are you sure they don’t glow anymore?”

Honerva chuckled, “Yes. I am positive. Now listen to the story.”

  
—

  
_8 year old Honerva watched the tv while her mother was in the kitchen cooking dinner. Her father Edmund came home, helping to chop up herbs. She didn’t usually listen to their conversations, but this time she did._

_“How is she doing with her homeschooling?” Edmund asked._

_“I am afraid there is nothing else I can really teach her. She knows way more than either of us do.” Francis answered, turning on the sink. That made it a little harder for Honerva to hear but she kept her ears open. “I try and get her as many books as I could but we must face facts. She needs to have proper schooling. She needs to be sent to an academy of some sort.”_

_Edmund sighed. “You know we cannot do that. The government…” he quieted way down so Honerva couldn’t hear him anymore. That sparked major curiosity._

_She spoke up. “Mommy, Daddy, when can I go to school?”_

_There was a long silence. “Getting you into the right school is a long process, sweetheart.” Francis said._

_“Not really. I just take a placement test and they put me into a nearby one.”_

_Edmund and Francis looked at each other. They began whispering to each other. That made Honerva impatient._

_“What is wrong with me taking a stupid test?” She shouted._

_Edmund sighed. “You need to tell her someday, Francinia.”_

_They both walked into the living room and sat down next to Honerva. She turned off the TV, tossing the remote to the side. “Now what?”_

_“Honnie, it is time we tell you. Do you know why your hands glow sometimes?” Francis asked kindly._

_“Because of a chemical imbalance in my DNA. I looked it up. I already know. The government doesn’t like that because that means I’m an alchemist and have abilities to perform magical acts and they think that’s dangerous and that I shouldn’t do it. You’re afraid that if I take my test that they’re going to get suspicious of why I am so smart and they are going to take me away. The intelligence is directly linked to me being that. Have you ever heard of Oriande? It’s not a tale but apparently I-“_

_Edmund cut her off. “So it looks like you do know.”_

_“It was in a book about politics. There are several laws against it. They’ll take me away, test me, and keep me in confinement the rest of my life. But I can control it now! I know how to, my hands glow and don’t glow on my command! It’s like saying a bad word. You don’t do it in school because you’ll get in trouble but if you really wanted to you would.” She became desperate. “Please, I just want to be able to learn more. With physical science we can advance the world and I want to do that. I was born to do that. It doesn’t have to be with alchemy. I need a teacher!”_

_Edmund looked at Francis for some kind of answer._

_After a few moments of thinking, she spoke. “You have to promise me that you will not show any sign of you having the gene, that even your future child will show no sign of having the gene if they have it, and so on. The government is ruthless right now and even King Raimon cannot control them.”_

_Honerva popped up, excited and completely ignoring the fact that this was a huge risk for her. “Yes! Thank you, thank you, so much!” She hugged them both, running off into her room. “I’m going to go and study!”_

_They looked at each other, not sure of what mistake they had just made._

_  
—-_

_  
Francis waited nervously outside in the hallway, tapping her foot. She was in the capital city of Altea, in a building that was clean and crisp. It was the head of all educational bases, and the closest place to them that offered late admittance testing. It was where parents took their children if they felt they needed something different or if they were putting them into school late._

_Eventually the door did open, and Honerva walked out holding a lady’s hand. “Hi Mommy.” She said with a smile._

_“Greetings.” Said the lady. “I am Dr. Anne, the head of processing the scores of the subjects.”_

_Honerva let go of her hand and went off to go and play in the waiting room. Francis stepped forward to shake Dr. Anne’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”_

_“Let us talk about your daughter’s scores.” She held up a tablet. “She is an extremely intelligent little girl. Her IQ tests so off of the charts that we had to create a new standard for her. Her ability to process and to hold onto information is almost instant, she can remember anything thrown at her down to it’s smallest detail. But her intellectual scores are far below her intelligence level. She needs proper education.”_

_“And that is what I have brought her here to figure out.”_

_“Indeed. And we already have a placement for her. She only scores next to one other child. Prince Alfor. He gets his education through the university, working one on one with the most prestigious of professors and educators on this planet. I think that would be the best choice in her placement. You will all be offered an apartment. They are already excited to work with her.” She smiled._

_“You sent the scores already?” Francis was suspicious. “Were there any concerns regarding her scores?”_

_“No, of course not. Within herself she is a normal and happy child. We know she gets proper treatment at home, and we know well that she can excel to heights further than we have ever known. Do you accept the offer?”_

_Honerva looked over to her daughter playing with a toy in the waiting room. Below all of the intelligence, she was still a little kid. Would one on one with adults really do her any good? Francis put all her time into making that child stay a child at heart._

_“Would she get her education with any other kids her age?”_

_“Indeed. Prince Alfor. He is a year older than her.”_

_Prince Alfor? Francis has heard of him. He had a level of exuberance that almost bordered immaturity. On TV and during parades he would be caught mocking his parents or making weird faces at the cameras._

_Yet hiding Honerva at home all the time was not going to get her any friends. Perhaps it was best for her to be with a child who had the same way of thinking as her._

_“We accept.”_

_  
And that is how Honerva beat up Alfor._

  
**Okay, look, I should probably really skip ahead to her first day, you know, the day that she actually beat up Alfor.**

**Of course I am going to do that because this is a storytelling flashback and not an actual story within itself. And I don’t need this chapter excelling past 7000 words because with my weak writing skill I’m sure you wouldn’t even get that far.**

  
_So Honerva and her parents moved into the apartment two days after her tests. It was in the university building and it was super nice and it had everything they wanted. That’s how much the university wanted to work with her. They treated them like royalty._

_“Mommy, Daddy, look at my room!” Honerva grabbed both of their hands, dragging them from the futuristic living room and into one of the bedrooms. This bedroom had textbooks neatly lined up on a shelf, a globe of all the different planets of the star system they were in, a science kit- one obviously extremely expensive and top of the line. The ceiling had constellations on it’s dark blue paint, the constellations being tiny lights that gave the room a dim lighting. The window overlooked the nighttime city. The bed was huge, it had a juniberry flower print. It seemed like the perfect bedroom for an intelligent child._

_“Oh wow.” Edmund looked at the ceiling. “It’s like your own little stargazing field.”_

_Francis smiled. “Well what do you think?”_

_Honerva’s smile turned into a frown. “I miss my old room. This is cool and they thought of me but I miss my toys.”_

_“Toys requested.” Said a robotic voice coming from somewhere in her room. She jumped, and so did her parents._

_She saw where it was coming from. It was coming from a speaker on the wall. “Toys are not requested.” She said sternly, taking a textbook off of her shelf and running over to the speaker, smashing it. It’s robotic voice died in a phrase of ‘are you sure?’. Francis and Edmund were shocked that their daughter would do such a thing. She dropped the book onto her bed. “I think this is some kind of weird test. They’re spying on me.”_

_“Then maybe we need to make a decision.” Her mother said slowly, cautious._

_She shook her head. “My first day is tomorrow. I at least wanna try that out.”_

_“It may not be safe.” Francis whispered._

_“Perhaps we are just thinking too much of it. I have worked with this technology before. The speaker on the wall is automated and sends messages out at your request. No one is directly listening. Perhaps this one just had a bug.” Edmund said. “We can turn off any of the other ones.”_

_Honerva looked back at the smashed tech that was now a pile of metal on her floor. “Oops.”_

_So they stayed, but they were hesitant. Honerva didn’t like the city life. She missed her little village. Her parents also missed the village. Nevertheless, this was about doing what was best for her intelligence and nurturing that ability. Her intellect hit a crossroads of where she needed to get her education from, and that was from the university._

_The next day she held her mother’s hand tightly as they walked down the hallway and into the classroom she was told to be at. A man was there already holding the door for them. Francis thanked the man. Honerva made a funny face at him, sticking her tongue out. Francis corrected her quietly, telling her that it was rude._

_The room was large, it’s ceiling very high up. It was a smaller scale lecture hall, the walls all windows looking out onto a large pond. There was a little boy sitting at a large desk, his cheek in his hand as if he were bored. A professor was pointing at something on a diagram, and the boy was pointing at something else. The professor felt their presence and turned around, seeing Honerva and her mother. “Greetings, Honerva and Francis. I was anticipating you. I am Professor Leopold.”_

_The boy looked up, making eye contact with Honerva. He had round blue eyes, brown skin, and white hair that hung down in his face. He wore expensive looking clothes. She knew immediately that this was Prince Alfor, and she bowed at him. He stood. “You don’t need to bow at me. I get it I’m the prince but that doesn’t mean anything.” He spoke. His voice was in a funny dialect._

_She tilted her head to the side. “I thought it meant you were going to rule the planet or something.”_

_“Maybe.” He said. “It’s still not important. Treat me as a friend.”_

_“Prince Alfor, this is your new classmate and her mother. You two will be working together from now on.” The professor said._

_He got up. “Honerva, huh? And what, is she here to try and figure out time travel, or where the center of creation is? If so, that’s impossible. You’ve been trying to make me figure that out for quintants but I doubt we would even have a clue until either we’re old or dead.”_

_“Honerva tests at the same level as you. You two would be able to help each other.” Leopold said. “Francis, it is time that you be dismissed. You may pick Honerva up in two vargas.”_

_Honerva looked up to her mother, then walked over to give her a hug. “Bye.” This would be the first time she was learning something without her mother beside her._

_Francis kissed her head. “Have fun. And if anything happens then you can come and get me, okay?”_

_“Okay.” She let go, walking over to the table Alfor was at, sitting down in the empty seat._

_Francis walked out, hoping that nothing bad would happen._

_Especially to her daughter._

_Of course, towards the end of the session she was called down. She was told that her daughter got into a physical altercation with the prince._

_When she got there, she was shocked to open the door and see the king of Altea standing in the middle of the lecture hall. Prince Alfor was sitting in a corner, a healing pack over his eye. Honerva was at the other side of the room sitting in one of the seats, arms crossed and her face in a pout._

_“King Raimon.” She bowed. He did not look pleased. Professor Leopold walked up to stand beside him. “I apologize for what had happened. I have heard all about it.”_

_He rose an eyebrow. “Why must you apologize? Your daughter has already openly apologized to me, despite her having a reason to be upset.”_

_Francis stood. “That gives her no right to throw a punch.” She flashed a look of ‘you’re in so much trouble’ to Honerva, who only turned away and huffed._

_Alfor sighed. “No… I told her she was dumb. And that she was a peasant. And that she didn’t deserve to be here.. that was mean.”_

_Honerva popped up, attentive all of a sudden. “But I punched you.” She argued._

_“But I basically said you were stupid and poor!” He argued back._

_“But I caused you physical harm and that’s worse!”_

_“No it isn’t, I demolished your ego!”_

_“Well I demolished your eye!”_

_“I can still see!”_

_“Alright, enough.” Professor Leopold pinched his forehead. “Okay. Perhaps we just need a few days off. They have been pushing at the same project for over a varga, and since it is Honerva’s first day then by terms of the school she will be forgiven.”_

_King Raimon stroked his beard. “Maybe these two need actual kid friendly time to get to know each other. You can’t simply put two child geniuses in a lab together and tell them to figure out the meaning of life together, we saw that only lead to them arguing. They need to be themselves. I am sure Francis agrees.”_

_She nodded her head, agreeing instantly. “Of course. They are still children. You cannot force them to figure out an answer to what you cannot figure out yourself.” She said directly to the professor, who looked offended. She didn’t care. “They are not robots.” She had the feeling that they were just little computers and they were being used, not being taught._

_King Raimon looked down at the professor. “They will return to their studies when they feel that they need to. And from now on, I will be sure to overlook for any raising suspicions.”_

_Professor Leopold nodded. “Yes, my lord.”_

_  
—_ —

“So is that why you and Alfor are friends?” Belle said. It was getting late now, she was feeling like her eyes were drifting close, but she wanted to hear the rest of the story.

Honerva smiled. “Alfor and I went on many quests together, although even after that day we continued to butt heads. We still do now. We were like brother and sister, and if it were not for him, I would have never met my husband.”

“Aw, no romance?”

“Well, that’s a story for another day.” She grinned.

——

  
_Francis invited Alfor to come over for a play date. Not in their apartment, but back in the village house. Edmund and Francis made sure everything was perfect. Alfor and Honerva spent the first few moments there explaining their one session of school they had together. They both admitted that they felt like they were being used and that they didn’t like it. This sparked a rise in question: what was the university actually trying to do?_

_Francis and Edmund needed to talk things over. They told the kids to go and play._

_“So you live here?” Alfor asked as they walked up the steps._

_“Mm-Hmm. I like it better than the apartment at the university.” Honerva said. She pointed at the pictures on the wall. They were pictures of different plants. “My mom works to sell herbs and medicines and my dad works as an engineer, so we have a lot of garden and metallic stuff around.”_

_“What do you work as?” He asked._

_“I’m eight decapheobes old, I’m not going to work as anything!” She laughed._

_They reached the upstairs hall, walking down it. Alfor could hear the floor creaking. He liked that about this place, that is a small and humble. It was average and warm. It was grandiose and pristine like the palace. “You must be occupied with something.”_

_“I study.” She simply said. She stopped at a door covered in stickers, pushing the button open. “I study so that way when I am older I’ll be the best at what I do.”_

_“What do you wanna do?”_

_She pulled him into her room, closing the door. She whispered. “Promise not to tell anyone?”_

_He nodded._

_“I want to be an alchemist.”_

_“You’re crazy! That’s illegal and you’ll get yourself killed!” He shouted. She covered his mouth._

_“Shut up! I know you’re a natural born alchemist too. There is no way your intelligence is that high without being one.”_

_“My father told me not to tell anyone.” He said harshly. “Is it really that obvious?”_

_“Not everyone knows. Only I do. When I was working with you the other day I felt a strange energy off of you and I couldn’t pinpoint it until now.” She said. “Now I have a question for you. Your father knows. If he’s the king, then why can’t he make alchemy legal for you? For me? Doesn’t he see that it’s a natural thing?”_

_Alfor rocked back and forth on his heels, saddened. “Because it’s an opinion. Even if it becomes legal there will still be people in some forms of power who are against it. It’s going to take time or even something extraordinary to prove that it’s not bad like people have made it out to be. I don’t blame people too much either. Alchemists have done evil things in the past. They’re just scared.”_

_“Well we aren’t evil.”_

_“But they don’t want to trust us.”_

_“Who cares? We are still people. One day I’ll make them see that.” She Helen up her palm, which began to glow with her crescent moon marking. “Look at your palm.”_

_He held up his palm. He had the same marking, only it was blue._

_Later that day when they were playing in the backyard, something bad happened. It started as quickly as it ended._

_They heard the front door bust down, a deep voice yelling “Where is the child?! The alchemist you hide? We know of her test scores!”_

_“We are searching for Honerva.” Said another voice. It was female, and it was very recognizable._

_“Dr. Anne…” Honerva whispered. She felt deceived that the woman who was so kind to her while she was taking her test was apparently the antagonist of this situation. Her heart was racing._

_“They know.” Alfor said. “What kind of test did they give you? They would have had to gained specific evidence to make that claim!”_

_They looked at each other, both reaching a silent agreement of hiding in the bushes._

  
——-

  
Honerva stopped speaking. Belle sat up. “What’s wrong? I wanna hear the rest of the story.”

She shook her head. “I cannot continue. It is too painful. I am sorry, Belle.”

“But it’s good to talk about painful things. Francis told me what happened. She said that she gave her life for you.”

She took a deep breath. “Me and Alfor eventually did go back into to see that everyone was gone. It took me years to figure out that they took my mother away. My father tried to get her back but failed, and in this time I was in the care of King Raimon. He sent many troops out to find them, but couldn’t. The university people tried to get answers out of her, and they tried to get me. She was given the option of either being executed or handing me over. She chose to give her life. King Raimon did not know of this until after it happened. When he found out, he ordered that anyone willing to eradicate a family because of a natural born gift was to be destroyed. In the end, my father did come home. We ached for years.” The university was full of conspirators. They pulled Honerva in, tested her, studied her personality in that study session and even tried to use her intelligence in a matter of a day. Her parents never forgave themselves for falling into such a trap, but she forgave them.

“But if Alfor was an alchemist then why didn’t anyone go after him?” Belle questioned.

“Because he was the prince. They knew, they were just scared to do the same thing to him.”

There was a long silence. Belle pressed her palm to Honerva’s forehead out of nowhere, confusing her and making her feel like she was being attacked.

Suddenly she was shot back into a memory.

It was Belle. She wore torn up Altean clothes, her face dirty and scratched up. She was shyly walking through the field in front of the temple, just like the first night Honerva got there. Only this time people were not out partying. She saw only her mother.

She watched as the woman kneeled down. “Do not be scared, dear child. You are safe for eternity here. What is your name?”

“I don’t know.” Said Belle. It was common for someone to die a tragic death and wake up in the Final Reality not remembering anything. It takes some people time to regain their memories of their first life.

“I am Francis. Our leader sensed you were arriving. I will be your mentor.” She said kindly.

Belle slowly walked towards her, hesitant. Her hand fell onto her face. “Francis.”

  
Honerva fell out of the memory. Belle tucked herself back into her bed. “Your mother was kind to me. She adopted me, she helped me bring back my memories. You were lucky to have her as a mom. Because of her you grew up to be an amazing scientist, didn’t you?”

“After she died, I wasn’t sure if I was ever to see her again.” She explained. “But Alfor and I got put into a normal school. We grew up and went to college, and after that we developed a program where Altean alchemists could come together and benefit from each other’s gifts. Altea went into a scientific revolution with our work. People finally accepted these amazing individuals with their gifts. The moral of this story is that no matter the way you were born and what gifts you possess, you are to use them for good and promote others happiness. You are a very gifted little girl, you see things beyond anybody else here. We all know that. People will suppress you because they are scared of you, but don’t you be scared of them.”

Belle nodded.

The door opened. It was Francis.

“Hello, mother.” Honerva said. “I was just telling Belle her story.”

“Which story?”

“Oh, one from a long time ago about a strong and courageous woman.”

Francis smiled. “That one?”

“Indeed.” She said. “It is time that I leave. I must say goodnight to my son and my husband.” She got up, leaving the room.

Belle looked up at Francis. “Lotor’s mean.” She simply stated.

“Why? What happened?”

“He was mad.”

“Why?”

“Because I snuck into his mind again and this time he caught me.” She said.

Francis sighed. “Belle, you cannot be sneaking into people’s heads for fun. I know you’re excited about gaining the technique but-“

“But him and Allura went into the living realm! They can’t do that. They can seriously mess things up and I had to warn them of it. It wasn’t for fun.”

“They what?”

“Together. He took her in there. She wanted her ex to be happy and to move on from her. They wanted to see that happen, but as they were in there I felt their energies going down. The world was crashing down around them and you know that they aren’t trained yet-“ she stopped herself from speaking.

Francis knew the child was good at heart, she wanted to help. She sat on the bed beside her. “I get it. I really do. However, people here do not understand what you know, and I do not think they are ready to understand. I don’t understand myself, and I don’t think you even understand it yourself. You told me the other day that Lotor and Allura were meant to be together and that they are the key to something. I think Lady Azaria might suspect it. Do you know why she might not like that?”

“Because love is forbidden and she doesn’t want them falling in love and being in love with other people in the living realm, right?”

“What are they the key to?”

Belle’s nose scrunched up. “Why are you asking this? I don’t know. All I know is that I saw it in a vision.”

Francis closed her eyes. “Okay. But let me warn you. You cannot think anything of it. Do not even ponder.”

“Why not? Nobody can see inside my head except me.”

Belle didn’t know. She didn’t remember what happened between her and Lady Azaria, and she didn’t know Lady Azaria now has the ability to access her mind. Francis was sad about, but did she really want to tell her? This child had so much power that the minute she felt deceived she was going to seek revenge, and let me tell you, what Lady Azaria did to her was surely going to make her upset. She may see beyond but no matter how far she could see, she could not remember even a fragment of what happened. When she finds out, all hell will break loose. Francis wanted to prevent that for everyone’s well being, even though she despised Lady Azaria and wanted nothing more than to get back at her.

Everyone needed more time and training.

“Tell you what. I will speak to Lotor and Allura about what they are doing. As for you, try not to sneak into people’s heads again. It’ll keep you safe. You need to trust me.”

“One condition.”

“Yes?”

“Next dinner party, I come in my pajamas. And I get extra cake. And also bedtime is a varga later.”

Francis laughed. “Alright, dear.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	10. Fall into my arms *

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *SLIGHT NSFW*  
> Lotor and Allura find that showering by themselves gets a little lonely... 
> 
> Lotor confesses something to Belle, and doesn’t hold back from telling the kid the truth.
> 
> Lotor and Allura head out on a journey so Allura could see why the Final Reality isn’t all puppies and kittens- and boy does she end up seeing why.

Lotor felt his entire body relax against the hot water of the shower room, his hair flattening and slicking down against his back.

The shower room was a small room embedded into the innermost walls of the temple. It was all one big shower. The ceiling was full of little holes that rained the water down to the slick stone floor. It was dark, the only light emitting from dark blue lines on the wall. Steam formed from it’s ground, encompassing around his feet.

He just stood there, unwinding. He never did go to apologize to Belle. He _wanted_ her to go and cry to Francis.

I mean, if she liked to sneak inside his head so much why would he have to say that he was sorry?

No. That’s mean. Maybe she was freaky intelligent and saw things of the great beyond but she was still a child with child feelings. He just wished she would stop doing that. Perhaps an apology from him to her would be most fitting. This was a new life for Lotor, his stubbornness and habit of analyzing people just needed to be in his past. It’s just that he didn’t know how to really handle Belle, and his action came out wrong and he was too sharp with her.

She was like a very annoying nosy little sister who was essentially some prophet who had the potential of a goddess.

Deep down inside he didn’t want to be enemies with her. He did care deeply about her, and he felt very bad for her because of what has happened with her in the past. It was a past that he did not like to think about.

There was a loud banging on the door. “Hurry up in there, I smell like an old rotting tree!”

Blaytz.

“Go and find another shower.” Lotor said.

“Okay, but just letting you know that I pissed on the floor of that shower that you are in right now and now you’re probably all up in my piss steam!”

Lotor closed up his throat from breathing in anymore of the shower room’s steam. God dammit Blaytz. Nasty dude.

Thirty seconds later Lotor slid the door open, a towel around his waist. Blaytz was standing right there. “You can have it.” He said, giving the shower up. “I will go and use the other one.”

The area outside of the shower room was a cave-like area, one with torches on it’s wall and beautiful stone benches in the middle. It was like a cool luxurious locker room, the devices such as the sinks and the mirrors were futuristic and what would count as expensive if this were the living realm. Lotor spent most of his time in here since it was the quietest place in the temple.

He went to the other shower room, which seemed to be off. When he knocked on the door, a voice answered.

“Please be patient, Blaytz. I told you to go away.” He heard Allura say.

He almost died. “I apologize.”

“Lotor?” She turned on the water. “I’m sorry, Blaytz was annoying me earlier. I thought that you were him.”

“I understand. He was annoying me as well.”

“Well do you wish to join me?”

Did he hear that right? Sure, they were in a sexual relationship before but that has well been damaged. “I-“

“You may join but only if you need to.” He heard shaking in her voice. She was embarrassed that she even suggested such a thing. Lotor wasn’t even the slightest of offended, he was actually heavily considering the opportunity.

He looked over back to the shower room he was just in, which was now replaced by Blaytz- you know, the one who likes the piss in the shower. Lotor smelled putrid, and it was getting very close to the curfew. It was either shower with Allura or smell completely awful for the night.

He made his decision.

He opened the door, stepping in.

Allura was still in her towel, a face mask on and her hair tied into a ponytail. “Keep your hands to yourself in here or I will throw you out. This will not be like last time. I figured that since you currently smell like a plague you needed to shower.”

“Figures.” He scratched the back of his neck, wiping the water out of his face as he stepped into the warm rain of the room. “I have forgotten to shower for quite a few sunrises now. I have been hyper-focused on-“

“Lotor.” She looked right up at him. “It is fine. I have been meaning to really talk to you about something and this is the only place where no one could be possibly eavesdropping on us, you know, Lady Azaria. I still want to know of Belle. You need to tell me so that way I know how to go about living here without causing any kind of trouble.”

“Your curiosity has always made me curious myself. How can you possibly have so many questions about everything?” He asked.

She slid the hair tie out of her hair, shaking her curls out and letting the water wet them down. “Because I am cautious and I like to know how I am performing my actions before I actually perform them, you know? I do not accidentally want to do something regarding Belle and have her get into any trouble.” She wiped the face mask off her face with her hands. When she looked back up, he noticed her eyes were dark blue. Her serious eyes.

He bit the inside of his cheek. “I am sorry. I cannot tell you. The memory of it is somewhat dull and you need to know every detail of it to be able to understand. However, I can show you tomorrow. I can take you to the mountains of Ondur. There you can finally experience what I have witnessed. But I am warning you, it will not be pleasant. You need to promise me something ahead of time.”

“What is that?”

“That you will not start something up when you know of what this place was before. You will feel anger but you need to repress it, or that can upset the balance that we have right now and you can get into a lot of trouble. We will never see you again, and I cannot handle that. I am sure your father wouldn’t be able to handle it either.”

She looked up at him with big doe eyes, nodding slowly. This wasn’t the living realm anymore. Why start a war?

He pivoted to get the glass bottle of shampoo off of the wall, taking the cap off and dumping it onto her hair. She laughed, pushing him away. He did the same thing last time they showered together, and it resulted in a play fight that lead to her running completely out of soap. It was the first time Allura saw the fun side of him.

Before he could grab another bottle, she grabbed his wrist and yanked him down, grabbing the bottle first. Her towel almost dropped and she gasped, clutching the top of it to her chest. She dumped the bottle onto his head.

“It appears that you are still skilled in combat.” He jokingly challenged.

“It appears that you are still fearless.” She pushed shampoo from her forehead and back into her curls.

“Your reflexes are quite fast, I’ll admit, however you still lack technique.” He said, a sly look on his face.

“Do I? You speak of lies.”

She let go of his wrist, taking a step back. His hair now hung down in his face, his figure outlined by the glimmers of the water droplets pouring down onto his shoulders. His eyes softened but the shadows were making his irises a dark and dangerous violet.

“Lotor-“ she laid a hand onto his chest, right where she could see the very faint outline of his new markings.

Her markings began the glow, illuminating the water with pink.

Arousal.

“You’re glowing.” Lotor noted, his lowered voice echoing against the stone of the shower walls.

Her face flushed. “Sorry.”

“No, that does not matter.” He leaned in close, whispering into her ear, lips brushing against her wet skin. “Do you want to do it?” He pushed a piece of her curls away and tucked it behind her lobe.

She was almost mute compared to the loud noise of the raining ceiling. “Yes.”

At that moment, he dropped his towel. Her heart almost jumped out of her chest.

She gazed at his figure. He was still the same lean person, all muscles very toned, physique outstanding despite his thinner traits. She could see that his marks began to faintly glow as well, his arousal becoming very apparent in his… area. “May I?” He asked quietly.

She nodded, and he proceeded to pull her towel off. His hand went on the small of her back, drawing her close. Her hand went onto his shoulder, and she reached up to brush her thumb across his bottom lip. She stood on her toes, drawing him into a deep kiss.

  
And his hands wandered lower.

  
That night they slept together again, sharing Lotor’s bed. Lady Azaria was not going to be able to punish them over it despite the rumors that she would. It was a risk for themselves, but they could not help doing it. It was causing them more pain and even more confliction not doing it.

Allura’s back was to Lotor’s stomach, his hand rubbing circles on her abdomen. She could feel his slow breathing against her neck. They both smelled good, their skin soft and anew against the silver linen of his bed.

“We can still read the journals of the living realities, right?” She murmured.

“Mm-Hmm.” He mumbled into her ear. He was half asleep.

Her eyes shifted to the bookshelves of the several logs Lotor had crafted himself. She found that beautiful about him. He was a writer, and he found life itself beautiful. “You know a lot about our life together in X-2. Tell me more about it.”

He took in a breath. “Everyone- my generals, the paladins, us, we are all a close group. The generation that came from us are also a close group. There were several weddings, several occasions where we would welcome a new life into the universe and we continue to strive for absolute peace.” His voice was low and gruff with fatigue.

“And our children are happy?”

“Yes. All four of them continue to grow everyday. In your training with Francis you can watch them and see for yourself. When you learn of all that our alternate reality beings have done for them and see how talented they are, then you will know. Our oldest is musical. She is a talented dancer. Our second is a highly skilled swordsman. Our third takes after the second. Our fourth takes after my mother with her intelligence. They are all very different yet they all get along well.”

“That is good news to hear.” Her eyes drifted closed. Back when they were living she always envisioned that they would have a happy life and a big family together.

At least that was successful in a different reality.

  
The next morning Allura woke up to see Lotor sitting up on the edge of the bed looking down at her. The abundant sunlight coming through the window made him look angelic, which was complimentary to the soft grin on his face. He was watching with an admiration that warmed his eyes. “Good morning.” He said, reaching to brush his knuckles lightly across the temple of her head. “Today we take a journey.”

  
They got up and packed, ready to head to the mountains of Ondur, the same place where Lotor and his father took their journey days ago. As they were heading out of the temple, Vitani ran up to them while panting happily, yet another note tied to her back with a sparkly pink ribbon. Lotor bent down to pet her, untying the knot and releasing the paper.

He stood, unfolding it as sparkles and glitter got onto his fingers. Allura looked over his shoulder to see what was on it.

It was a frowny face with the simple Altean words ‘I’m sorry’.

Somebody cleared their throat behind them. They turned and saw Belle, standing and lightly tracing the floor with her foot awkwardly. “It’s for you, Lotor.” She whispered.

Allura looked up at him with a cocked eyebrow. So he really never did apologize to the girl.

He walked forward. “Belle, I am the one who is supposed to be in this position. I apologize for the way that I had acted upon you. I am working on my character and it has been quite difficult lately.” He kneeled down in front of her. “But there is someone who I had been looking up to, believe it or not. She is curious and brave and only desires what is best for others.”

Belle gave him a funny look. “You? A grown man looking up to someone?”

“My point is, I wish to be like you, kid. You are a courageous child, and I think I can learn from you.” Lotor said, standing up.

Belle was confused at first, but then her heart warmed and she beamed so brightly that it was almost contagious. She jumped up, throwing her arms around his neck. He caught her. She spoke into his hair. “I think we can learn from each other, you stink-grape.”

Once again, Lotor never really knew how to handle a hug but he still hugged her back anyway. He set her down, and she ran off to go and play in the gardens.

“That was really sweet.” Allura put a hand on his shoulder.

He put his hand over hers, giving it a squeeze. “Let us begin our journey.”

 

The caves were just like Lotor last remembered them. The blue light from the emeralds embedded in it’s wall illuminated brightly when Allura’s hand came to brush against them. “This place is beautiful.” She said in awe.

“I have not told you this yet, but I am not sure if I can bring back the memories of what had happened. They were erased from the minds of most of the people who dwell this land.” Lotor told her. She was surprised. Why would he bring her here if he wasn’t sure of what was going to happen? That was terribly out of character, but with him recently accepting a new part of his soul and with everything that happened to him since he left his first life, subtle changes were inevitable.

“Do you still remember?” She asked. “You know, what happened to Belle?”

“Of course. They never did erase my memories.” He said. “I still do not know why.” He touched the wall of the cave. “Allura- you still carry the same abilities at your fingertips as you did in the living realm. That was never apart of your quintessence or your genetics. It is apart of your soul. You were never just an alchemist.”

His eyes met hers. She knew that. She healed him the other night, but back in the living realm she was able to bring life back to anything. She never realized it but everybody found that really beautiful about her, especially people like Lotor, Lance, and Coran. “What are you saying?”

“I am saying that I believe you are connected to everything. You are something of a goddess. It is going to be difficult but I believe you yourself can exploit these memories. This cave represents all of the past history of existence. Anything that has happened in this realm exists. Close your eyes. Think about Belle.”

She pressed her hand flat onto the wall of the cave, feeling it’s cool stone. She thought about that spunky little girl, the sarcastic and hyperactive Belle she was just beginning to get to know.

But she felt nothing, nothing at all. It has to be at least two dobashes of concentrating, but she wasn’t even pulling a fragment of anything. She took her hand away. “I cannot.” She said. She looked up at him. “You have to, Lotor. I know you failed the test in Oriande and didn’t gain any special abilities but you are still your mother’s son, and you know Belle way better than I do.”

His brows knitted, concentrating. He placed his hand on the wall. She watched him, at one point he gave up and she placed his hand right back where it was. She believed in him, he just needed to put his mind to it. He exhaled, and the markings on his face gleamed for a split second.

The entire cave started glowing wildly, eventually fading them into nothing but white.

Allura couldn’t see anything. “Lo?” She called for him. “Lotor?” She turned, seeing a short figure of a child. She had to be a toddler, no older than the age of three. She had big brown eyes and brown ringlets pulled back into two short pigtails. Belle.

She heard a voice. “ _Your child is very unusual. She was born for something specific, one day she will change this world.”_ The voice was soft and female.

Another female voice came in. “ _Is that so? She is merely a baby. Of course she may be a little bit unusual. Maybe it is just a phase.”_

Something tapped Allura on her shoulder. She whipped around, only to see herself. But this version of her had short hair and wore a pretty gown. “ _Belle? It is time for schooling.”_ She spoke. Allura reached out, but her hand only went through the figure. The figure disappeared.

A tree appeared in front of her next. It was an altean oak, tall and holding the most gorgeous of violet leaves. On it’s bark was a missing poster, the picture of the missing person without a doubt being Belle.

Suddenly, a storm hit her out of nowhere. Hard rain hit her head, lightning struck her vision, wind almost knocked her off of her feet. Below her feet she saw the bright green grass of the Final Reality. Very faintly she could see the temple and the town.

But just as she thought she knew where this was going, the landscape warped. She saw flashes of many different things, things including her very face, Central Command, Oriande, the Kral Zera, Zarkon dying, burning planets, battle fields-

These were Lotor’s memories, not Belle’s.

Allura realized very quickly what was going on. She snapped out of it, ending up back in the cave. Lotor was on the ground, clutching his head. She saw a woman who looked to be made of stone standing above him, her hand hovering right over him. He choked out a sound of absolute pain, curling into himself.

Lady Azaria. How did she get here? How did she know what they were doing?

She was always watching, of course.

“Perhaps it is time to erase his memories for good, don’t you think?” She said to Allura, her voice flowing like water despite the dark intention of it all.

Allura jumped out at her. “Don’t do this to him!”

“He cares too much about you. Breaking the most sacred of rules for a girl who is newborn to this land?”

“You’re going to kill him!” She grabbed Lady Azaria’s wrist, but was instantly electrocuted. She yelled out, refusing to let go of her wrist.

She learned techniques from Oriande that had some evil precautions to them. She knew how to reverse somebody’s quintessence, it could ultimately kill them. She tried to do that to Azaria, yet couldn’t feel anything of her. It was like she had no quintessence or soul. “I know what you are doing and that will not work.”

“What are you? What is wrong with you? What is going on here?” She said darkly, ignoring the continuous searing pain going up her arm.

“I hoped you would never have to find out this way.”

They heard a guttural screech. “Stop!!!”

That distracted Lady Azaria enough to let go of Allura and stop her task of what seemed to be attempting to kill Lotor a second time. They saw Belle standing in the cave with tear stains on her face and clenched fists.

“Belle? What are you doing here?” Allura gasped.

Next thing they all knew, Lady Azaria vanished. Lotor passed out, head hitting the ground.

Belle sprinted, kneeling down next to him. “That doesn’t matter. Is he dead?”

Allura felt her stomach lurch, kneeling down alongside her. She placed her finger on the pulse on Lotor’s almost cold neck, feeling the light and weak pulse of his heart. She sighed with relief. “No. He’s alright. Do you know what she did to him?” Lotor screaming in pain was not going to leave her mind for days and she knew that. But why was he in pain? She thought that the only time it was possible for anybody to be in pain was during joining ceremonies and that’s it. She also thought they were immortal, why was she having to check his pulse? It would make most sense that Lady Azaria being the leader had special exceptions.

And based on what just happened, that was very bad.

Lady Azaria was not a good person, if she even was a person at all.

“She was erasing his soul. She’s not the creator of souls, but she’s in control of what happens with them.” Belle said weakly, eyes welling up.

“Sweetie-“ Allura pulled her into a hug. “He’s okay. He’s going to be okay.”

“But his memories-“

Lotor’s eyes opened slowly, his eyes trailing up to their faces. “Who are you?” He asked.

 

 

 

 

 


	11. Encompass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If a person was bred in war  
> Raised in war  
> Fought in war  
> Died in war
> 
> What memories comfort them the most?

He felt himself floating in a comfort that was beyond anything he had ever felt. He lay there in the deep blue, the warmth surrounding him like a blanket around an infant. 

He wondered.

_Who am I?_


	12. Turning Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor wakes from his coma, completely forgotten of his memories except for the ones from the 10,000 year war. Allura starts to work with him to try and get his memories to come back- including the ones of her.   
> Everyone is put into immediate danger- and everyone from X-1, including Lotor, Allura, Honerva, and all the old paladins face eradication from existence.   
> Belle finds out what Lady Azaria did to her so long ago. She comes up with a plan: a risky and possibly fatal journey to an abandoned city on the edge of the realm, and she wants to bring Lotor and Allura along with her.

Lotor laid in his bed, and Zarkon and Honerva came rushing in. Allura pressed a washcloth to his forehead while Belle sat on the bed with him, watching in complete horror.

“Is he okay?” Honerva asked urgently, coming to sit beside the bed.

Zarkon looked at his son. He looked… bad. Dark circles accented underneath his eyes, his hair was a sweaty mess, and he could see dry blood on his lip. He looked like he got mauled by some kind of big animal. “What happened?” This was the first time he expressed true concern for his son.

Allura and Belle looked at each other. Were they really about to tell them that the leader of the realm did this and now they had no idea where she went or if she was watching or not? Was it really time to ascend the Final Reality into complete chaos? Come on, Allura just got out of a realm of total chaos, she wanted to avoid another one!

Honerva placed a hand on her son’s bruised forehead, her hand beginning to dimly glow. “Memory loss.” She said. “It can happen at moments of extreme trauma, just like what had happened to me in the living realm. We can easily bring all of his memories back to him by surrounding him with familiar objects and by performing a recall ritual. However, I am sure he does not know how to perform that and I cannot perform that on other individuals.” She looked to Allura. “You have the same abilities that I have. You are one of the very highlights of the deepest of his core. Perhaps you can try.”

Allura shook her head. “In Oriande, I only learned healing techniques and skills having to do with quintessence and soul, however, I learned nothing to do with mind. We would have to try a different route.”

There was a bitter silence. The only sound that could be heard at that point was Lotor’s wheezing, laboured breaths.

Belle looked down at him. “I know you all are hiding something from me. When I saw her, she looked me in the eye and I got to see inside her mind for a split second, and all of these memories came back to me, but I don’t see why she hates me so much.”

Allura felt her breath leave her body. She remembered Lotor mentioning if Belle ever found out what happened to her then she could start a war. At this point there was no stopping it. The girl had so much determination on her little face that she was going to find out one way or another.

But that didn’t break the fact that they were trying to keep this secret until they could figure it out.

“Who is ‘she’?” Zarkon asked.

Allura didn’t know how much the kid knew, but Belle was going to know more than her anyways.

“Our leader, Lady Azaria.” She said quietly. “She did this. I followed Lotor and Allura on their journey just for fun, you know? I was hoping to see them kiss, but then they were trying to access my memories in the caves of Ondur because Allura wanted to know what apparently happened to me that I still don’t know about and Lotor couldn’t tell her. Then Lady Azaria caught them and started trying to erase Lotor from existence and in the process she really beat him up.”

Honerva was shocked. “That is… truly disturbing.”

“She is a corrupted leader, isn’t she?” Zarkon looked downcast. He knew all about corrupt leaders. He was one himself for ten thousand years.

“And not only that, she has been suppressing all of us! She wants nothing but absolute control. She sees a natural realm as something political, she is going to turn this place into a form of dark communism or something. She has killed people here countless times before and would erase everybody’s minds over it. I remember everything. It sucks that I have to remember. I think she never decided to erase those memories from me, probably because she wants me to suffer. You know, because she hates me.”

Allura’s eyes widened. “How many has she taken?”

Belle went pale. “Tens of thousands, maybe? In the time I’ve been here it has been twenty. Why do you think we have a huge town and so many free rooms in this temple for just two hundred and twelve people?” It has been billions of years. There was no possible way that only two hundred people have made it there. She looked down, biting her lip. “I want to forget. There is nowhere safe.”

Allura looked back at Zarkon and Honerva for some kind of guidance. However they could not give any, they have done the exact same thing to people before. She sighed. “Belle, do not let any of your thoughts shift towards anything Lady Azaria may find suspicious. Go ahead and find something to do to take your mind off of things. Honerva and Zarkon, I am going to need you both to keep an eye on your son. He’s going to wake soon. I am going to go and find my father.”

Honerva and Zarkon nodded, and Belle was already leaving the room. Allura got up and rushed into the hallway, quickly walking fast paced towards the recreation room.

Sure enough Alfor was in there, sitting at a table and playing Monsters and Mana with Blaytz, Trigel, and Gyrgan. They were laughing and yelling various things, all having fun just as they used to. While it was good to see such a thing, Allura couldn’t help but cough loudly to catch their attention.

Alfor caught his daughter’s eye. “Yes, Allura? Care to join us for a game?”

“Have you not heard what had happened?” She asked.

He stood, approaching her. “You look spooked, dear. What is the matter?”

She dropped to a very low whisper. “We cannot trust this land.” She said shakily. She didn’t even know how to begin to explain.

Just as he was beginning to look confused, a voice boomed through the air, coming from all directions. They were startled, looking around.

“ _This is Lady Azaria, the ruler and supervisor of this Final Reality. This is a reminder that here it is in my best interest to keep you all safe. There have been a few inhabitants here who have been attempting to fracture this peace we have gained and bring out lies to start chaos. Reality X-1 has sparked these idealisms and we cannot risk the balance to be thrown off by anymore newcomers from X-1, so by decree of my name, I announce that any being from X-1 who dwells here now will risk termination, as well as any living beings currently in that reality will not be permitted to enter this realm._ ” Lady Azaria announced.

“Reality X-1?” Alfor’s eyes went wide.

“That is the reality we come from, father.” She said shakily.

His eyebrows furrowed. “What happened?”

The announcements continued. “ _To insure your future well being, we will now enable all possible feelings and emotions in every inhabitant. Pain and illness can and will be felt, but only if you allow it. Reality X-1 beings are enemies to our realm. Beginning tomorrow they will be interrogated, but as for now, they are to be left alone.”_

“We have to go.” She urged. The rest of the old paladins looked at each other, and looked back at her.

But wait. They had a day. They needed a solid plan, and they also needed to know what the heck was going on. Allura needed to speak to Belle and Lotor, but she worried that speaking to Belle about it could end badly, and not to mention Lotor was still in the height of his coma and was missing all of his memories.

Alfor was confused. “What do you want me to do? Do you know what is going on yourself?”

“I have an idea, but not entirely. You will be interrogated tomorrow, we all will… so….” she rubbed her chin, thinking. “It’s probably best that you only know this: this land is not what it seems. The leader is one of some kind of oppression but I still don’t know why, and I do not know what she wants. She hurt Lotor. She hurt him awfully, and now he will not wake up. She is trying to protect something. Just do what she tells you to do until I can give you an answer.”

All the old paladins gasped. “That’s.. Horrible. What did Lotor do?” Blaytz asked.

Allura felt a lump form in her throat. “It was my fault.” She began walking away.

“Allura, wait!” Alfor called, but Allura ignored him, not listening. First she needed to figure out what to do with Lotor before she could even think about what to do with her father and his friends.

 

  
When Belle heard the announcement, she broke completely down in tears. She decided to hide away in her bedroom. She knew that this had to be her fault, she knew that this issue had to be centered around her. Now everyone was going to suffer because of it.

She remembered looking into Lady Azaria’s cold grey eyes, seeing a burst of memories and information in the back of her head, yet she still didn’t know what she had against Lotor trying to access her memories. They weren’t Lady Azaria’s memories, they were hers.

She always felt like there was a gap in there, though. It was almost like a big chunk of her memories didn’t add up, like they were missing. She grew suspicious, looking at her bedroom door.

She got up and locked it.

A few minutes later there was an urgent knock. “Who is it?” She did not want to unlock that door.

“It’s Francis.” Said the voice on the other side.

Belle stared at her hands for a few seconds, not answering.

“Please, honey, I want to make sure you are okay.” Francis said frantically.

Belle raised her right hand, focusing it at the door. Without touching it, the door unlocked, opening up. Francis was shocked that the door just opened on it’s own.

“Sorry, just practicing my telekinesis.” She said sweetly.

Francis saw that sweet voice was obviously forced. “Belle, you know that we all heard the announcement. I am afraid for you. I cannot let you leave my side.”

Her face contorted, brown eyes squinting, freckles scrunching, lip quivering. “I want to know what is so bad about me! Lady Azaria hates me and I know it, why doesn’t she just want Lotor in my memories, or Allura with him, and why are you always hiding me?! I’m not a little kid like you think I am, Francis! I am smarter than you and than anybody else here, I deserve to know, what is going on?!” She completely blew up.

Francis was very much a second mom to her. She got the sweetest side of her along with the loud, kicking and crying outbursts. Belle was a complicated child, one with so much pent up anger that it was a tough job to have, but Francis loved her. That is the reason why she would often protect her to the point where she was hiding her or sheltering her from situations, repeating what she also did to Honerva when she was just a bit younger than she was.

Because she knew what happened.

She knelt down, holding the kid’s shoulders in her hands to get her full attention. She spoke quickly. “You must swear up and down that you will not think too hard about this. Lady Azaria will try and get into your head sometime within the next few days because she finds you dangerous. Your abilities go further than her own, you have these abilities that can tear everything down or build an entirely new universe, and she is frightened of that. I know what is going on with Lotor and she is going to try and use you to make sure he did not exploit who you are to you.”

“You just told me.” Belle almost laughed, not finding any of this to be serious. “What do you mean I’m more powerful than her? I mean, I thought so myself but I didn’t really know that?”

Francis sighed. “Belle, you know exactly what I am talking about. A few months ago she stole all of your memories from you. With that, she took all of your powers. Allura told me that the other night Lotor helped you bring back your telekinesis. He is in a lot of trouble and so are you. You also believe Lotor and Allura are meant to be together for something. What is that?”

Right as she said that, Belle began to phase out. Her eyes eventually fluttered shut.

  
Belle was in a futuristic jail cell. She felt all kinds of pain all over, almost not even able to move. She shifted her eyes up to see Lady Azaria talking to another person. “ _This child does not understand why she was created in the first place. She was a great failure in her reality. Her destiny was to make sure she could lead this land to a greater prosperity than the others. These beings deserve what is greatest because they are the greatest. We deserve the greatest ourselves.”_

 _“Are all of the minds here erased? At least, the minds of all the lower beings?”_ The man asked.

“ _Of course, only there was an issue regarding Francis’s grandson, Lotor. His mind is too complicated for us to erase it. Oh well, as long as that girl does not arrive here anytime soon then we should be fine.”_

_“What girl?”_

_“You know, the one of the other prophecy. Lotor actually encountered her in his first life. They almost had a wonderful relationship. We made sure to crush that.”_

 

Belle shot back awake in Francis’s arms. “Honey, are you okay?” She urged.

Belle stood, almost falling over. “Lady Azaria didn’t want Lotor and Allura to be together! She said something about a prophecy! She erased everyone’s minds because I knew something and she didn’t want it! Lotor and Allura together can do something she doesn’t want to happen!” She was talking so fast she was out of breath. “But she let that rule that no one is allowed to be in love slide with them, like she wanted it? Why would she want them to be together now if she doesn’t want them to be together in the past? She like totally broke them up herself in some crazy way and-“

“Woah, woah, sweetie! Slow down. Take a deep breath.” Francis coaxed. “What did you just see?”

“I don’t know, her evil apartment or something?! Like from months ago, before she had it renovated to that ugly ass white and grey scheme she got going on!”

Francis was confused now. She remembered a day ago that Lady Azaria asked her if she could find out if Lotor and Allura were meant for something. Why would she ask that question if she already knew the answer? And if she didn’t want them to be together why was she suddenly allowing it at a ‘it’s your own risk’ kind of thing?

“Well what does Lady Azaria want so bad?” Belle asked, eyes wide. “Whatever it is it’s mean!”

“We don’t know.” Francis got up. “Be cautious. I am going to go and find some things out.”

  
Belle made her way back to Lotor’s room, seeing that Allura was back in there with Zarkon and Honerva. She came over and sat on the bed right by where Lotor’s legs were. She shook his knee. “Wake up, dumb-dumb, this is an emergency! We gots some explaining to do!”

Allura hushed her. “He is already awake.”

Belle met Lotor’s eyes, which were half open and dead inside. “Sorry…” She whispered.

Allura spoke to him. “Do you… remember me?”

He shook his head. “I am sorry, I do not recall.” He was sad that he couldn’t recognize the beautiful woman who was sitting by him. Perhaps she was an ideal part of his life. He hoped so.

“Perhaps it is best that we leave you to rest, my son.” Zarkon said, a concerned look on his face. “We can try and pick this up later.”

Right as he was speaking, Lotor’s eyes shot wide with a rage that none of them have seen in awhile. He breathed heavily. “You….” he suddenly launched himself out of the bed and at his father, grabbing a nearby sword off of the wall.

“Wait!” Honerva held out her hand. Her instinct was to used her telekinetic control and still him, but that didn’t happen. Zarkon grabbed the sword with his bare hand, cringing when it pierced his skin.

So the pain was indeed effective.

Lotor held the sword still, shocked. “I thought I had killed you! Why are you here?!” He demanded.

“My son, you are in the afterlife.” Honerva said calmly. “This is your father, the real Zarkon. He is the man who once brought good to the universe.”

Lotor shot his look over at her. “Mother?” He did not see the witch Haggar. He saw a old yet beautiful woman with honey skin and golden eyes.

“Right now you are experiencing the most shallow of your memories exposing back to you. Those are the broad memories of your first life in the Reality X-1, the reality with the ten thousand year war. You were born into a life of war and hate and raised as Galra. However, you began to accept yourself for being half Altean. You attempted to fix your father and I’s mistakes. You perished and were brought here about four deca-pheobes ago. Your father and I came here not too long ago and you were able to find forgiveness in us both.”

Lotor lowered his sword gently. He looked at his father’s hand, which was bleeding but not too much. “Witch.” He muttered. Honerva didn’t blame him.

“If the memory of the war is his most shallow of memories then what are his deepest?” Allura asked. She remembered going through Honerva’s mind not even that long ago. She remembered that her mind worked in time order, leading up to her most protected desires.

“Everyone’s mind works differently. I believe his runs on emotions.” She looked up to him.

He sat back down on the edge of his bed in complete bewilderment. “Did I lose all my memories or something? What happened? Where am I?”

“The Final Reality.” Belle said. “It’s a realm where dead but cool people go.”

“Until we are able to get to his mid-core memories, you will feel a lot of aggression and sadness.” Honerva said. “In order for us to be able to reveal other memories, you will need to try and find the bright things in your surroundings. We all know that he is a very bright person underneath his aggressions.”

Allura noticed that Lotor’s demeanor and expressions were intensely upset. He was tightened up, his smile was nowhere to be seen. This must’ve come from the fact that he only had memories of war in his head at the moment, not to mention the two people he felt rage towards the most were standing right in front of him.

“To do that it would be best for you to be with Allura for some time for this.” Zarkon said. “She brings out the best in you.”

Lotor turned his head to Allura, and she almost turned red. It was almost like this was a complete stranger. She wanted him to be back to the way he was. “That is I.”

A small flicker of a smile shown on him. “Greetings, Allura. I am Lotor.”

 

Francis didn’t have much time. She needed to protect her daughter, grandson, and apprentices. What she was thinking was that Belle was connected to a destiny with Allura and Lotor. Allura and Lotor must be a key to unlocking something of the Final Reality while Belle was the lock. Now that the three of them were together, Lady Azaria was going haywire and losing her mind.

It was time to stop her.

But how?

Everything was an absolute mess. All the inhabitants were flipping out over the announcements, everyone from Reality X-1 were about to be interrogated, Lotor was in a coma, Belle was frantic and just found out that Lady Azaria erased her mind- thank god she did NOT remember all of the details because that whole situation was ugly.

Francis went to her library, looking on the shelves for one particular book.

Behind her she heard a voice. “I want to end this. We have to end this and you know it. I have a feeling Lady Azaria wants to do something bad.”

Belle.

Francis turned around, hushing her. “Before we are to do anything we need to know what we are doing.”

“There’s a city on the outer edge of this realm. It’s the City of Forgotten. Every forgotten memory, every dark secret, every fact and opinion is there, you told me about it. We can go there and find out!”

She froze. The child just had a point.

The City of Forgotten was a large steampunk city that used to be thriving with another group of individuals. It was the first site of the Final Reality. Now it was a sacred and forbidden place that theoretically held occurrences and secrets. If they could get there, they could find out what Lady Azaria’s master plan was, bring Lotor’s memories back easier, and it would be out of Azaria’s reach and serve as refuge for those in danger of her.

Only one problem.

“You know that it is last resort. It is much too dangerous. Anyone who has left the valley and gone beyond the mountains has perished. Out there we are able to die and if we die a second time we will never live again.”

“Better than being erased tomorrow by staying here. She will do it to you. She tried to do it to Lotor.”

“It is a very long journey.”

“One worth taking. When we have all Lady Azaria’s dirty secrets we can use them against her and everyone can be happy again.” She said. “ _Trust_ me. We have to do this. Please just give me one chance.”

When Francis saw Belle, she saw Honerva. She saw her same little girl begging her to give her a chance at things. She wasn’t perfect, she had a habit of sheltering those she cared about, yet when she finally let Honerva have her chance, Altea had a great change and science advanced by eons. This was Belle’s chance. She knew she had the potential to be amazing.

It was time for change.

“We will need to leave by tomorrow, and it will have to be fast.” She stride to get a map of the Final Reality off the wall. “Once we are beyond the mountains, Lady Azaria would likely not be able to get to us. We must be prepared for insane weather and harsh environment, so pack everything that is essential to you.”

Belle smiled brightly, excited of the approval. “Lotor and Allura are coming with us.”

____

  
“We used to dance together like this.” Allura held Lotor’s hands, stepping slowly along with him in the ballroom. “It is an altean dance.”

Alfor watched his daughter dance with the former prince, playing a piano-like instrument up in the platform that audienced them. He noticed clearly that the man was in very bad shape, his movements were staggered, his eyes were bleak and sunken in.

The galtean watched the pretty face that tried to keep a brave smile on. His expression was quiet and shy, definitely not the same look he showed her when he knew her. “You are altean.” He said, voice raspy and low.

She giggled. “ _Of course_ I am. You are too.”

“You were.. Princess Allura?”

“Was. Now I am just Allura.”

“I am just Lotor?”

“Yes. The magnificent Lotor Sincline.”

They kept on dancing slowly. He watched their feet carefully, occasionally looking back to her blue azure eyes. It took him a few moments to speak again.

“How old are you? Are you a child, because if so, we cannot be together.” He said sternly. That question almost made her laugh. He asked her the same exact thing when they first talked casually to each other. Allura did seem quite young and his aging standards were confusing.

“Well… I was put into a cryopod for ten thousand years, then came out for another three. I am a young adult. I officially became one a few pheobes before I passed. And you?”

“I was an adult for nine thousand, nine hundred, eighty four years.” He said awkwardly. “I did not age like others. I had a merely fast childhood.” Lotor’s physical age put him close to a peak, his age would be comparable to a twenty-one year old human man.

“Well if it makes you feel any better, we do not age anymore. We will remain young forever, no worry for receding hairlines or hunchbacks. And oh the ancients, no worries for the slipperies.”

The corner of his mouth twitched, like he wanted to laugh but couldn’t. Who was this girl? Why did she talk so easily with him?

  
_____

  
Lady Azaria ordered her highest of highest comrades to her penthouse up in the mountain. They all sat on the chairs and couches quietly, and they were to be quiet the entire time. The only one allowed to speak and ask questions was the Official, who was her second in command. He stood next to her on the platform that gave the view of out and beyond the valley. “We leave them alone for today. Lotor slept the entire way through the night and had just woken up. His memories were fractured, yet I had failed to completely erase him. It will not be long before he gets them back. In the meantime, we must discuss what to do with Belle. I am afraid she might’ve gripped my mind and got ahold of information we do not need her to have.”

“Is that a worry?” Asked the Official. “Should we access the child’s mind?”

“Actually, no. My original plan was to anger them and get them to exit the capital. We know they would do this because they are all adventurous spirits, they would go out to seek anything they could use against us. Outside the capital is a land of great terror. They wouldn’t last a day out there. It seems that they may seek knowledge out there anyways, me injuring Lotor had initiated that. It will be certain death, and the people of the capital would see it as their own doing instead of mine.”

“So there are no errors?”

“A small risk.” She said. She waved her hand, bringing up her screen. It showed Lotor and Allura back in Oriande when they were living, hugging each other after the princess passed the trial of the White Lion. “I have a confession. I have been easing the two together so that way they would once again experience a connection here. I have been feeling that it is something that I just need to do. We know that our main focus was to suppress the prophecy that they share, but I have been thinking that we could utilize that.” The screen changed to her and Lotor dancing in the temple that day. “They may be forming a plan for all that we know. Like this one.”

The screen changed over to Belle begging Francis to go on the journey to the Forgotten City, also from that day.

“Belle desires my secrets, but she may already have them. I am hesitant to let her know of my ultimate plan. If she does know already, this could be a set up.”

“She is a child. How could she possibly have a set up?”

Lady Azaria was displeased with the Official for that question. “If she knows of my ultimate plan, she will also know exactly what to do to completely ruin everything we have worked for. She has her very own desires that don’t even conform to Lotor and Allura’s, nor anybody else she affiliates with and she is not even aware. She could be pretending, dragging Francis down with her, along with everybody else. She may know of the prophecy that Lotor and Allura are apart of but she would not care. She would pretend to up until the very last moment, once she does see what power she possesses by herself then she will turn on them. She is chaotic, no matter how small. No matter how evil the others see me as, she will always be more evil. Her mind is that of the devil himself. Now we wanted to prevent this in the past but this may be opportunity now. We can use her, steer her in the other direction in our favor. It would be tricky, but we have waited too long keeping her innocent. The timing now is perfect. Together she, Lotor, and Allura can achieve what we have been trying to achieve for thousands of years.”

“The barrier.”

“Yes.”

“So keep them alive?”

Lady Azaria began thinking. She wanted nothing more than for them to horribly perish outside the capital, but this opportunity was very tempting. “If they get to the City of Forgotten, then they would be successful in their plan, but in ours as well. Make sure the desert contains no serious threats, leave the minor ones in. We will openly let them go free.”

“Yes, Lady Azaria.”

  
——

  
“Do you remember any of this, Lotor?” Allura walked with him throughout the garden. It was nearing sunset. They had gotten many things done, they did chores, learned new things, but none of this triggered any of Lotor’s memories. “A lot of these plants actually come from the living realm.”

He looked around the garden, noting the crystal stream and lily pads in decorative ponds. He also noted the numerous vibrant colors that filled his eyes. He saw a juniberry, walking over to it. He picked it from it’s stem, holding it. It began to rot away in his hand right before his eyes. “Oh.” He mumbled, sad to see the flower go.

“Oh, quit being so down.” Allura was constantly reassuring him throughout the day of things. She never got tired of it, really. She ached for the opportunities. “They are not to be picked. They die right away. Belle and your grandmother directly connected Belle’s spirit to this garden. You told me that on days where she is sad, you’ll notice that the garden becomes dimmer.”

“Is she the altean child with the brown hair?”

“Yes. She is very fond of you, even though she likes annoying and picking on you a lot. She looks up to you. Do you remember anything of her?”

He squeezed his eyes shut. “I do not remember. I hear that name… all I can think of is…” his voice completely trailed off, leaving her without answer.

“What?” She watched as he closed his palm shut on the wilted flower.

“Armageddon.” He stated.

Allura was quiet for a few seconds. “Let us go inside. It is time we eat.”

Armageddon? Did he mean like an apocalypse? What would that even mean? Well, she knew Belle had the power to destroy and create, but why would she be the cause of some kind of end?

Allura shook her head to get this thought away. She was probably just overthinking.

And still, the way Lotor’s eyes met hers with some kind of desperation told her she probably was meant to overthink. “It’s us and Belle. _We_ are Armageddon.” 


	13. Decisions, decisions...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle and Francis go over the plan to escape the capital and travel to the city, which still seems to be broad and improvised- but it’s something.   
> Lotor still cannot recall any further memories, and Allura ends up breaking down in front of him.   
> The group says goodbye to their loved ones, preparing for an epic journey. They unexpectedly bring along an extra traveler..

Lotor wasn’t processing new things as quickly as he usually did. Normally to questions he had plausible, well researched answers. Now it took him a good few seconds or an “I do not know.” to answer a question. They told him to go and take a nap.

Lotor’s intellect lied in a deeper layer of his mind, much deeper than the layer of his mind that held his memories of the war. It lied in the layer of his head that held his memories of exploration and passion. They wanted to be able to get through to that part of him, and their best bet was that this exploration within itself would trigger some memories. The only thing is that they never clearly told him that he was going along.

This is when Francis and Belle explained their plan. Francis, Belle, Honerva, Zarkon, Allura, and Alfor all spoke together about it. Francis and Belle were the leads, Zarkon and Alfor were the warheads and good at decision making, and Allura and Honerva held useful magical abilities. This could be a rough outline of who would be going. They sat in one of the rec rooms, one more private and used more for studying than for games.

“So this City of Forgotten… is it impossible to get to?” Allura asked. “It sounds essential to bring Lotor’s memories back. I would love to go.” She was sipping a small cup of calming tea, trying to soothe her headache from the overall stress of that long, painful, still moving day.

Francis shook her head, making marks on a map. “Not impossible, but extremely dangerous. Our team that we will travel must be small and agile. You and Lotor are necessary to access the memories there and to actually get us into the city.”

“How?”

Belle took this answer. “You two are meant to be together, and in your reality that is the only time it happened. When you ended up together here, I guess Lady Azaria started wigging out because she doesn’t like that city being touched and you together can open it. From what she was saying and what she has said before, her mind is all over the place and even she doesn’t have a set plan for herself.”

“In what way exactly?” Honerva asked.

“I had a vision. She said something about how she didn’t want Allura to show up and her seeing Lotor.“ she turned to Allura, speaking to her. “She then mentioned something about sabotaging your relationship in your first life. She created the rule that people here are not to be in love ahead of time specifically for you, saying it would cause distress from your other reality selves, and it had to be so long ago that it was normal and everyone believed it, and it had consequences until a few days ago. She might’ve come up with some kind of opportunity now and that’s why she’s suddenly so relaxed with it or...” An announcement went out the day Lotor had his ceremony of joining that the rule broken would no longer suffer consequences. It went over everyone’s head. “She’s so confusing and indecisive, it’s worse than my mom in the drive thru. Like does she want you together or not? Pick a ship, lady!”

Allura was shocked. “Whatever is in that city must be important.” She remembered breaking up with Lotor because he literally killed a shit ton of people. That was obviously justified, even if he wanted peace, he was not ready to be a good person. The reason she got back together with him lately was because she witnessed a change in him. But what did their breakup have to do with Lady Azaria? How did she force that to happen?

“Right now she wants to use you and Lotor’s connection to trick you into doing something of her favor. I do not know how we believe this, but I just have this suspicion.” Francis said. She didn’t know for sure, but she knew Azaria well. “If you two do something in her favor she will use it until it is at it’s own end, and that is why she suddenly wants you together again, she’s luring you. Knowing her chaotic decisions in the past, that would be bad.”

“Will them unlocking the city be in her favor, because if so we might as well not even go at all.” Honerva asked.

Francis remembered one time Lady Azaria brought up the city. That is the main place she locked all of what went against what she wanted away. If the city was unlocked and everything was released, she would be extremely upset. It was something she would never change her mind with. “She wants them to do something else, yet I don’t know what. If we just go to the city and not get distracted, then we should be fine.”

“Can’t we just overthrow the quiznacking bitch already?” Belle groaned, throwing her head back in frustration.

“No swearing, Belle.” Francis said. “And it is not that easy. This is not a government, although she runs it like one. Her selection as a leader was natural, she is the one who created this realm. If we remove her from power now the realm naturally goes away, but if we get everybody on our side then remove her, the realm would stay in favor of the people. Like you said, we need to get proof of her evil doings and bring it back.”

“Well I say we figure out who is going.” Allura said. “I entrust Belle with this decision.”

Belle nodded, a smile forming onto her face. She liked it when people believed in her. “You and Lotor of course. Francis, I want you to come too because you know how to tuck me in. And…” she looked around the room, thinking. “Lotor needs a parent. He has issues.” Everyone nodded in simultaneous agreement. That was a no brainer.

“I will stay. Alfor, I will need you to stay along with me. The travelling team need to be as small as possible, and although us and our team may get erased for whatever reason tomorrow, we can make sure that does not happen. Together we will oversee and protect our friends.” Zarkon looked over to Honerva. She didn’t even have to hear anything from him to know what he was going to tell her.

“Are you sure?” She asked him.

“Go with our son. He needs you. You are his comfort.”

She nodded. Zarkon and Alfor left the room to discuss their plans deeper.

“So it’s settled. Me, Lotor, Allura, Francis, and Honerva are all going.” Belle reaches into her backpack to pull out a tiny notepad and a frilly pink pencil, beginning to write stuff down. “And can the pets come too? Vitani and Momo?”

Francis shook her head. “I am sorry, sweetie. But they may get hurt out there. It is best if they stay here.”

Belle sighed. “Okay. Us five. Five like team Voltron!” She perked up, smiling.

Honerva looked over to Allura. “Allura, do you mind waking my son up? I am still uncomfortable with interacting with him at the moment.” That caused everyone’s heart to ping. It seems like she and Lotor just made up, and were beginning to heal that relationship, but they were back to square one again. It would be Allura’s honor to go and wake him, but with his memory loss and him not being familiar that they were in a romantic relationship, it may cause an even deeper level of awkwardness.

Still, she went. She went down the hall and to his room, slowly opening the door.

  
She heard his heavy breathing, striding over quietly to sit in the chair beside the bed. He was sound asleep, drooling on his pillow. In the low light of the lantern above him, Allura was able to see every detail of his face.

It was still drastically beaten up, dark circles still present accompanied by colorless blotches and yellowing bruises. His hair was once again sweaty from stress, his ears drooping due to the lack of energy.

She watched him for a few seconds, dwelling in deep thoughts.

She thought about the time she was in Honerva’s head with her old team, trying to gather as much information as possible. It was in that process that she witnessed how she killed Lotor.

He was laid back in the seat, his eyes were squeezed shut and his hands were crusted onto the handles of his controls. His suit melted, revealing grotesque burns and rotting patches of flesh. She could see part of his rib cage, and not to mention the way his jaw and ears were melting along with his muscle. It was horrific. It made her completely sick to her stomach. When she released that huge beam of quintessence, she killed him.

She remembered later on seeing him as this little happy kid, buried deep in Honerva’s thoughts. He was just this innocent cupcake with big blue eyes. He was like that at one point- an innocent child, ruined by war.

And war was all that he could remember now.

Tears began to drop from Allura’s eyes. He made her so angry. He did unspeakable things to Alteans and she had every right to be enraged with him back in their first life, but their relationship ended up so ugly that it still caused her pain to be with him again now. Every time she looked at his face before they would kiss she would just have that image in her head of his rotting body.

Here they were now, both dead, living a second life. Everything was tumbling down, everything was still corrupted and dark just like the first life. She hated it. She wanted to be at peace. And here she was staring at a man who she cared for a lot and he couldn’t even remember who she was.

She hadn’t realized it, but she was completely sobbing on his bedside like an idiot. His eyes blinked slowly awake, half open staring up at her. He reached his hand up to cup her face, and she held onto it, shutting her eyes.

“Miss, why must you fame this sadness?” He said. Judging by the fact that he just called her miss, he still lacked his memory.

“Because, Lotor. I want to be at peace with you, and your mother, and my father, and everybody else. But here it is corrupt and paranoid. You do not deserve a second life of this.” She sniffled.

He sat up, pulling her into a hug. “Yes I do. I was a leader of the enemy in war.”

“But you tried to help. You wanted to end your father’s regime and me and my team never let you have the chance.”

Lotor didn’t recall. He couldn’t remember anything about how he died or how he ever worked with team Voltron, but he did remember things like leading the art of war, killing people, and killing his father. He stayed quiet. He just wanted to hug this beautiful crying angel before him.

What Allura had not realized was that Lotor was beginning to show emotions of love again. Those were some of his deepest feelings, and was a strong sign that his memory was indeed going to come back- with time of course. Him taking the initiative to hug her was something deep.

Allura and him walked back to Francis’ room to see her discussing what they would need to bring.

“Now of course I am not done training Allura and Belle yet, so I will be bringing my teludav orb with me. They will continue to learn how to interact with the living realms. We will need lots of water and lots of clothing, yet we need to keep it light enough to carry. Past the fields is the desert, and that will probably be our toughest point of travel.” She said. She stopped and looked up at them. “Well, look at who is awake.”

Lotor stared blankly at her. “And you are…?”

“I am your maternal grandmother, Lotor.” She was fully aware and horrified that her grandson was almost killed and knocked right into amnesia. She tried her best not to break down at the fact that he just asked her who she was after four years of them being close friends. “We talked together a bit earlier today, only you were sleepy and not really responding. I told you to go and rest.”

He felt a tugging on his hand. He looked down to see that little girl from earlier. “We’re getting ready to leave.”

“For what?”

“For our exploration. We’re going to go out past the Mountains of Ondur and to the Desert of-“

“I wish not to go.” He said nonchalantly, turning around to walk out.

“Wait, my son.” Honerva said. He stopped, turning right back around, rage flashing across his face.

“Do not call me that!” He shouted, making everybody in the room shutter. “I am not your son!”

Once again Honerva had to remind herself to be patient, that he didn’t remember anything about how he came to actually feel about his family. She closed her eyes, breathing out. “Regardless of that, you must come on this journey. We need not to focus on the troubles we may have had in our past, but the troubles we face together here. You are a powerful piece to this decision. We will not go without you.”

“You are bringing me out some place to eliminate me.”

“If I wanted to eliminate you I would’ve already.” Belle said darkly. That made everyone stop and look at her in shock. “This is me and your grandma’s plan, mister! You are going to come with us because it depends on all your friends and stopping an evil lady who wants to erase you from existence.”

Lotor looked down at her, still tense. “Who are you to speak? You are a mere child.”

Belle clenched her fists, tears coming out of her eyes. “Do not dare say that to me! I may be a child but you can’t remember half of your memories right now! You show nothing but pity on yourself! You know who you are, Lotor! We all know who you are, the real Lotor would take this opportunity as soon as it was given!” She put her foot down, stomping it right into the sandstone floor. “I want my real Lotor back!” Here was Belle’s childish side again. I’ve said before the child has a lot of pent up anger, and that tends to come out unexpectedly.

Allura grabbed Lotor’s hand. He looked down to see an upset in her irises. “This journey is supposed to be for us, and without you there is no us. I want my real Lotor back as well. You’re supposed to be my soul mate. Also, you are the son that Zarkon and Honerva love to death, your father cannot forgive himself for what he has done to you. Your mother went across realities for you. To Francis you are her grandson, the one whom she worked with every waking dobash for the past four years to help you gain the heart we know you have. To Belle you are a leader, she seeks your approval. We are all a chain and in our first life you thought of yourself as a weakened link, but here you are one of the strongest. We need you. Please do this.”

All was quiet. Honerva stared at him in defeat. Belle crossed her arms, trying to be brave and make it look like she didn’t just have a fit. Francis rubbed her back lightly.

Lotor’s face softened up, and he finally nodded. “I apologize.”

“We will get through this memory loss, and if it still isn’t back by the time we get to the city we can manually retrieve it there. Belle and I have a great feeling that you and Allura are the key to bringing back other information and memories as well. It is truly a harmless trip, it may be dangerous, but we as a strong group will laugh in the face of danger.” Francis said boldly, embedding as much encouragement as she possibly could. This brightened them up, brought some unknown energy to their bodies. “This will be a learning experience as well. Outside of the capital from what I heard lies great discovery and life lessons. We are not dead, only more alive.”

 

That night they finished packing. Alfor and Zarkon knew exactly what they would do the next day to ensure the other Reality X-1’s make it through the trials and interrogations successfully. They were still new to the Final Reality, so hopefully they truly knew what they were doing. Play the game right, stay safe and earn your prize. Their prize was survival. Francis warned them not to underestimate Lady Azaria. She did have all the power of this realm.

Lotor was beginning to show more signs of being upbeat, showing a subtle excitement for this adventure. This was another strong sign that they were right on the brink of unlocking his deeper missing memories of exploration and passion for discovery. However, he claimed not to remember Allura, Belle, or Francis whatsoever. To him, he had only just met them that day.

“This day seemed so long. A lot of things happened so fast.” Belle murmured, looking out the window. She pet her kitten, giving him a small kiss on the head. “I’m going to miss you, Momo.” She felt something rub against her leg. She looked down to see Vitani, Allura’s wolf pup. “You too, Vitani.”

Francis put a beanie on her head. “We will be traveling the desert at night. You know how cold deserts can get. Best to stay warm.”

Honerva was talking to Lotor. He felt a numbness towards her now, not knowing at all how to take the fact she was his mom all over again. He refused eye contact, sitting awkwardly in a chair with his hands draped between his thighs. “I hope you will remember everything to what you had to offer throughout your life. Beside all of the negative aspects, I’d say that you are an extraordinary man. You’ve done amazing things. You ought to be proud of yourself.”

“You truly feel that way, Witch?” He muttered.

“Of course.”

He looked out the window. “This place makes me feel something strange. Everything here is so perfect, destined to be destroyed. You all seem frantic about whatever is happening. If this is my second life, then why was I placed here?”

She paused for a second. It is said you had to of been an extraordinary person to be placed in the realm. For Honerva, it was her advancement of science. For Lotor, it was being able to pierce a destroyed rift on command. But why was there a second life? Why was it a place where they had to be afraid? “We have all been asking that question lately.” She said. “It is believed we are put here because we have done something impressive in our first lives. We are to be celebrated, and the first movement I was here it was nothing but fancy dinners and parties. Now it seems to die away, but you are to be happy. Look at that girl, my son.”

Lotor looked up to where his mother was gesturing at, and sure enough it was the lovely kind girl with the mocha skin and bright eyes that he admired. She was packing a bag of fruit, eyeing each piece to see which ones were the best to travel with. “What about her?”

Honerva chuckled a bit to herself. “Do you not understand? We have been hinting at it all day. I think we even told you. That is your partner, Lotor.”

“She has been awfully… _close_ to me.”

“Well it doesn’t hurt to at least try and connect more with her. You may be missing those memories you have with her but you may still have those feelings.” She pat his shoulder. “Go and talk to her. Get to know her again.”

There was a presence about that girl. She was the kind of person whom you would want to protect with your life but who could also hold her own pretty well. She was like a soft breeze that cooled you down during a hot day, the kind of breeze you longed to know and be with longer. This was his girlfriend, and man was he a lucky guy.

He stood, walking across the room to her. He cleared his throat, awkwardly shoving his hands into his pockets. She looked up at him. “Hello, Lo. What kind of fruit do you like? I know you are very fond of it, but I want to make sure of which ones are your favorite.”

He eyed the fruit that she held in her hand. In one hand she held a junniberry fruit. In the other she held an earth apple. He shut his eyes, thinking.

There was a image that flashed through his head. It was a little kid holding an entire basket of fruit in his hands, proud of it like it was a child’s Halloween candy bag. He realized the kid was him, with the same soft purple skin and unforgettable indigo eyes. He opened them back up. “Neither one. I enjoy citrus the most.”

“Oranges for you then.” She said, handing him an entire sack of orange fruit. He didn’t know how else to react but to just hold them in his hands. “I knew the answer already. I just wanted to see if you could answer. Are any more of your memories returning to you?”

“I am still knowledgeable.” He said, offended.

She only giggled. “We all get it, Lotor. You are smart.”

There was a knocking sound on the door. They all turned to see Alfor in the doorway. “You must all hurry and leave now. Me and Zarkon have our plan. You are burning precious night hours.”

“Of course.” Francis said, pulling a backpack on. “Come on, everybody. Time to say our goodbyes.”

 

They stood at the back of the temple, the sound of crickets surrounding them all. They wore black cloaks, ones that would make it very hard for any magical surveillance to see them. They were hugging their loved ones before they would leave for a long journey, one that could take days, one that could take months. Maybe even years. Who knows?

Allura squeezed her father, and he stroked her hair. “I’ll be safe, father. You be safe here. For mother.”

Alfor’s heart jumped at that. He missed his wife dearly. He knew she was okay and in a different realm, one hopefully not corrupted like this one was becoming very quickly. “You do something great. For your mother.”

“Goodbye, my son.” Said Zarkon, holding a hand out for Lotor.

After staring at it with a questioning glare, Lotor put his wrist into his father’s palm and grasped his wrist. This way of handshaking was one that was specifically to show trust and close friendship. Although he was yet to get his memories back of them bonding for the past few weeks, he believed that his father had changed, and that was the one thing he longed for the most in his life. What shocked Zarkon the most was when his son pulled him into a tight hug. “I only remember you of war. I believe your change is righteous and true. Just keep everybody here protected of this awful person you speak of.”

“Will do.”

They all heard loud wailing. They saw Gibby, the weird shirtless twelve year old squeezing Belle tightly. He broke his curfew to say goodbye. They shushed him in fear that he would attract attention, but he continued to cry. “I’ll miss you! You’re my best friend!”

“Aren’t you friends with Blaytz now?” Belle was literally unable to breathe.

“Yes but you’re my _best_ friend!”

Francis chuckled. “Gibby, she’ll be back. We all will.”

“But what if you’re not? I wanna come with you.” He pulled away from Belle.

She took a breath in, wheezing. “You’re really strong.”

Gibby tagging along just because he was friends with Belle was a bad idea. It was supposed to be a minimum group, the danger out there was horrendous and for there to be an extra person would be an extra life at stake. However, everyone was thinking how they all had a piece of their family coming along. Francis had her daughter Honerva and her grandson Lotor and Allura had Lotor. Yes, Belle’s parental gaurdian was Francis but she needed someone close to her and as a child, she needed someone her age. She and Gibby hit it right off when they met because they were the youngest of the young in the realm. If they would be gone for possibly months, she needed him.

“Okay, pack quickly. You have three dobashes.” Francis said.

Everyone gasped. “What?”

“If he wants to tag along then that will be fine by me. He is my apprentice. He needs me to continue teaching, and he needs the little one as a friend.”

Gibby jumped, shooting his fists into the air. “GIBBEH!” He sprinted right back into the temple.

  
—-

**_This journey would be tough for us._ **

**_As a little girl I longed to go on dangerous trips, and when I finally got to when I was on team Voltron and I got to see what oppression looked like, I was sick of it. I hoped that here it would be different, but the strange and rapid events are telling me my hopes are not valid._ **

**_I still hope that this realm does not go downhill. We are people who realized within a quintant what was needed to be done. That is just how quickly Lady Azaria turned for the worst. What was even worse was that everyone who dwells within the capital has not realized what was going on. They never knew of the change._ **

**_We’re in danger. Lotor was almost erased, he possesses none of his memory. Belle was deceived in the past by Lady Azaria, and now she was threatening that everyone from my reality would be terminated. I will not allow that. That is why our decision came quickly and without much planning. This is is improvising, but as fighters in war we would improvise quite a lot._ **

**_We need to fix this soon. Time in the living realm is different. The paladins are aging quickly. Lady Azaria is no longer permitting them to enter this realm. It already aches that me and my father are separated from my mother, and it aches to even think that they all long to see me again._ **

**_I knew from the start that something was wrong here. What we all wonder is exactly what Lady Azaria is trying to do. She is not doing this to be spiteful. She is doing this because she has a motive. I hope that later an explanation becomes apparent._ **

**_Wish us all luck._ **

**_We need it._ **

**_Our existence needs it._ **

****

**_-Allura_ **


	14. End of part 1- author’s note

**Well congratulations you just made it through the most boring possible part of all my stories! You got past the exposition, where Allura and the others arrive and make themselves at home in what seems to be a perfect place where people party all the time. You met Belle, the little girl who has these cool ass powers who becomes close with Lotor and Allura. You met Honerva’s mother, who may seem a bit all over the place right now but trust me you’ll LOVE her when you see just how badass she can get. You also got to learn that the Final Reality is fucking dumb as shit and is a meanie place with a meanie leader- you learned that very quickly. That was actually me pushing the plot faster lmaooooo.**

**The main underlying story is Lotor and Allura’s romance. I know, Lotor’s memory is gone, but I need you to trust me. All worries will come to an end eventually.**

**  
There are also some smaller plots I put in to kinda spunk up the story, like the question of why all the afterlives have separation and if Melenor would ever be seen again, as well as the Keith and Lance romance, and not to mention the fact that Lotor and Allura actually had kids (four of them!) in an alternate ending of their reality (you’ll see them again soon just wait that part of the story DID have a huge purpose).**

**In the second part, it will be probably shorter, but will have long ass chapters. We’re talking word count of 5000-6000 instead of my usual 2000-3000. It will also be well pieced together and more organized since I got all the explanation and conflict setting stuff out of the way. The chapters will jump back and forth from focusing on Lotor, Allura, Francis, Belle, Honerva, and Gibby, to focusing on the old paladins. This is the portion of the story with the rising action and where a lot of fighting and a lot of questions will be answered fully, and where all the characters will start to get a lot of development and stories will finish being told. Remember, this is a fix it fic. The point of this is to make the characters who died off have an extended ending by going through another conflict.**

**In this part I must warn you, it will get very sexual. There will be more detailed chapters as well as a lot of sexual innuendos that go back and forth between Lotor and Allura.**

**And in this part it will get extremely violent. There’s a lot of fighting that goes on, and a lot of injuries as well- maybe even actual death, that I cannot tell you for sure.**

**This is not the last part. There would be part 3, which includes the ultimate climax and the resolution. That part will be the shortest, I’m trying not to make a fic that’s like fifty kazillion chapters again, that’s totally mean lol.**

**  
Get ready, THIS is the actual story of six brave explorers and five brave protectors.**

**Wish you luck, see you on the other side.**


	15. The journey begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor continues experience harsh personality changes. While out in the desert, revelations occur- some good, and some very bad. Lady Azaria begins trials on Alfor and his team back at the capital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the shortest chapter of part 2

They couldn’t catch their breath

  
It was sunrise, and suspiciously it was easy to exit the capital and get through the mountains. They passed this off as nothing. Maybe Lady Azaria was sleeping or she was too stupid to notice the six inhabitants all escaping the capital.

As soon as they reached the desert, something was trying to kill them.

Giant hornets the size of footballs buzzed rapidly, swirling around all of them. Lotor growled, drawing his sword and swinging it out at one right by his head. It sliced in half- only to form two. “Don’t slice them!” Shouted Francis. “They only multiply!”

“Oh, _wonderful_ news!” Lotor yelled sarcastically, dodging from the two new new hornets coming at him angrily.

“What are these things?!” Honerva being physically the oldest did not have time for this. Her old bones were screaming at her to stop. She reached up and tried to summon dark magic, but it didn’t work. She scoffed in frustration and pulled the hood of her cloak over her head, thinking that would somehow protect her.

“They’re desert hornets, you know, hornets in a desert?!” Belle screamed when one dove right for her. She ignored the uncomfortable amount of sand in her shoes and ran for a nearby crater in the ground, jumping in. Gibby followed her down, ducking. They clung to each other, screaming.

“Kids, please stay down there!” Allura warned. “Everybody stay back!” She skidded to a stop, pivoting around and kicking sand up in the process. She raised her arms up right towards the swarm, her arms and palms beginning to glow. The rest of them stopped when they saw the hornets stop abruptly, staring down at Allura in confusion.

“What are you doing?” Francis watched in wonder.

She didn’t answer, only had a stare down with the devilish bugs. Soon enough, they all began flying away, almost like a trance in a ghost waltz. Belle and Gibby peeked out of the opening of the crater they were hiding in.

“Are they gone?” Gibby asked.

Allura lowered her arms. “Yes. I just used a hypnotizing technique I learned in Oriande. I wasn’t aware I could still use that power here.”

“Outside of the capital you have full ability.” Francis mentioned. She looked over to her daughter. “Honerva, make sure you practice your abilities along with Allura. Try to teach some to your son as well.”

“I refuse that witch’s abilities.” Lotor spat, almost collapsing from how tired and hot he was from the dry air.

“Oh, shut up and _can it_ , she loves you now and you love her and you are all going to just get along great, are you not?” Allura almost barked, now at her wits end. All night it was nothing but all this random complaining from Lotor. Yes, his memories of the good parts of his life were missing so of course he was miserable, but it was getting annoying. “We are all tired, Lotor, we are all weak and hungry, but could you just do me a favor and get along with your mother?”

Lotor was shocked that she totally just yelled at him like that. This was his girlfriend? Did she usually yell at him like this?

“Dang, sis snapped.” Gibby laughed, followed by a dry cough.

“My powers are useless. I have no knowledge of light magic, only dark. My dark entity separated from me.” Honerva said, kinda bummed.

“Perhaps I can teach you mine.” Allura said. “Lotor as well. And maybe even…” She looked over to Belle, who was shaking sand out of the hood of her cloak. “Belle? You know of the techniques of Oriande?”

  
_Oriande_. Lotor could feel the name on the tip of his tongue. He closed his eyes and saw random flashes of purple and pink, but he couldn’t quite grasp onto what it was…

“Nope. Never been. That place is stupid.” Belle said.

“Well I can still teach you some of the things I have learned. With all of your abilities you must be a special altean.”

“Yeah, yeah, marks of chosen, special handprints, I guess I’m one.” She shrugged. “Altean magic is kinda dumb though. Not like you can do this!” She held her hand up to Gibby and he began floating in the air. He flailed his arms around, yelling, demanding that she put him down. Her telekinesis was getting stronger. She let him go, and he screamed as he dropped right into the sand. He lay there, laughing right along with her.

“No, but I know how to bring the life back to people and to landscapes. Do you want to learn that?” Allura smiled. She longed to be good friends with Belle. She remembered that first time she met her she mentioned something about being good friends with Allura but in a different reality. Belle has been guarded and cautious with our Allura, though. Our Allura just wanted to be on comfortable terms. Besides, the kid was talented. She would love to get to know her more.

Belle shook her head. “No. I’m tired and this desert is annoying and stupid.” She kicked the sand. “I haven’t slept in over a day.”

“Maybe we just all need to rest. You speak the truth of us all. We have been travelling all night and planning the whole day yesterday.” Honerva said. “Let us find a place that is not out in the open, we’ll eat, then rest for a few vargas.” Yasss, Honerva, get it with rationalizing.

They all looked at each other, nodding, proceeding to walk.

While they were walking as the first sun was beginning to rise, Allura kept her eyes open for any more things that would try and kill them. Surprisingly, there were minimum threats to them. This was strange, from what Francis told them, the desert was extremely dangerous. It was supposed to be a sandy hell, not a moderately dry land.

Man, were they wrong.

 

  
-

 

Lady Azaria watched the screen. It showed different angles of the travellers walking tiredly across the desert. Soon they would be completely out of the surveilling boundaries. “This is awfully boring. They are all grumpy and frustrated, which only adds to the negativity and low attention span that I have for them. Perhaps lowering the level of threats was a mistake.” She turned. “Official, make the heat approximately 40 degrees hotter. Take out any moisture in that air. The dehydration should give them a good psychological challenge.”

“When will we head down for the trials on the remaining Reality X-1’s?”

Lady Azaria almost gasped. “Silly me, I almost forgot. We will go ahead and begin those immediately, before they all start rioting or demanding some kind of spiritual refund. We will start with Alfor, then save Zarkon for last. He seems to have a good level of secrets that he keeps. Also, make sure you program all the other inhabitants to be intent and well behaved during the trials.”

___

 

“Everybody report to the cathedral for trials.” A robotic voice announced.

Alfor sighed, standing up from his seat. “Here we go. Remember, do not tell them anything that may be suspicious or have any reason to give away information they want. If they find a good enough reason, they could erase us from existence.”

“I still don’t even know what all happened in the past two days.” Blaytz shrugged. “I think I’m good.”

“Well we are all good hearted people.” Trigel said. “They would never be able to find a reason to erase us.”

“And what of me?” Zarkon said, clenching his eyes shut. “Why am I even here?”

They all looked at him. Zarkon’s past misdeeds made it very questionable of how exactly he made it into the Final Reality. He was a terrible warlord, one that could be one of the absolute worst of existence. He killed an uncountable amount of people, he was an abuser of his own son, he was a deceiver of his friends, he used his own wife-

“This place is supposed to give us all a second chance. You have been doing well with regaining your personal honor.” Gyrgan was the first to speak.

“If they were to throw me from existence, then my empire would be gone.” He said. “That would solve the pain and aggression I have set upon many.”

The way getting thrown out of existence worked was that you were never truly thrown away. Yes, the actions you have committed would be gone from everybody’s mind and the people affected would be changed forever, but there were exceptions. For example, Lotor. Lotor would remain existing although his existing father is gone. His memories would replace as him never having a father at all. The same would go for Zarkon’s friends. They would have had no Zarkon, and therefore no Voltron, no legacy, no protection of the universe-

“Although you have started a terrible war, the new paladins have fixed that. Because of that, the universe learned from it, and right now they are living better than ever. They solve their problems rationally before breaking out in a fight.” Alfor put a hand on Zarkon’s shoulder. “That is why you are here. You impacted the universe negatively but gave way for the brightest of change. Use it. The way you redeem your leadership today is by getting through this trial so we can advance our plan.”

Zarkon nodded. They all stood, raising their fists to the air. “To defend the universe, and all existence.” He said.

“To us!”

  
___

 

  
“Okay, why is the desert suddenly like… a billion degrees hotter?” Gibby trudged across the rock floor. They found a small cave in the middle of the searing heat, which heat up fast along with the three suns coming up. “It’s almost as hot as Lubert.”

“Who is Lubert?” Lotor asked, laying down and almost on the verge of much needed rest.

“He’s a dude who has a giant mole and who is the lobbyist of my friend’s apartment complex back in reality.”

“In what way does he remind you of me?”

“You both are insane and he threw an orange at me. He also threw his shoe at me. Also I think he eats Barbie doll heads.” Gibby explained casually, continuing to pace.

Lotor was so confused and conflicted of a response that he decided to just close his eyes. He never understood humans. They’re a bizarre species. And what kind of name was Lubert?

“Pacing will not help, Gibby.” Francis said, wiping sweat off her brow. “It is best you sit down.”

  
Lotor, Allura, and Belle were all sleeping on top of blankets in the deepest part of the cave. Belle was curled up to Allura, while Lotor slept by himself on his back. Allura still made an effort to link her ankle around his.

“You know a lot of things, Francis. I like that. You’re like wikipedia.” Gibby said, noticing that with him sitting down he was feeling a lot less hot.

“Of course, I had to teach this one right here.” She gestured over to Honerva. “She just kept learning and learning, I had to keep up.”

“Studying used to be my most favorite of things to do. It was like you were learning about the universe without even having to leave your home.” Honerva’s brows softened, fond of the compliment from her mother.

Gibby smiled. “Well do you know any other smart people facts about deserts?”

Honerva and Francis looked at each other. Honerva spoke. “Well, deserts can vary. Usually they gets extremely cold at night and extremely hot in the day, just in the way we are feeling now. The best thing you can do is rest during the day and walk at night. Some deserts have plants and if you really need to, you survive off of those.”

“Did you ever explore a desert?”

“The first time was when I was about to earn my degree. Alfor and I explored one, of course we had to cut our journey short because he got bit by a walking fish. He puffed up like a clanmural. I actually enjoy deserts.”

“Your son don’t.” Gibby laughed. “Look at him, all pitiful in the corner like that.” He pointed at Lotor lying alongside the cave wall, a frown held on his face while he slept. “Mister ‘there is sand in my mouth, there is sand in my mouth!’” They remembered him earlier, falling in the sand when they were being chased. Without his memories of exploration, he certainly was not one for travelling on foot.

“Shh..” Francis was trying not to laugh. “That’s not nice.”

“He gets that from his father. When he was a young boy we were visiting a planet of nothing but desert. Zarkon was yelling at everyone, and Lotor was constantly huffing and crossing his little arms.” Honerva was giggling like an idiot. “Memories or not, I knew Lotor would not be very fond of the journey right now.” But then she stopped laughing. She was deeply worried for him. She got up, walking over and kneeling down to lay a hand on his head. He remained asleep surprisingly, not even moving. She closed her eyes. “I need to see what he remembers.”

Francis and Gibby watched in wonder. A few minutes later Honerva pulled her hands away from her son and backed away, a horrified look on her face.

“What is it?” Her mother asked. “What did you see?”

“Hell.” She said lowly. “All hell. Nothing but destruction caused by my husband, the time he destroyed my son’s allies because he was just trying to do the right thing. That is what is on his mind right now.”

“Is that why he’s grumpy?” Gibby asked quietly.

“We are all upset by our conditions, but for him it only adds. Allura can bring back his memories of happiness. I know it.”

“Honnie, I know how it feels to have your child out of place. It is best that instead of worrying about what is going on you fix it to make it right. Maybe I can help you.” Francis walked over, kneeling beside her. “Put him into a dream. Give him a dream of something you witnessed of his happiness.”

Honerva tried to think. What was a memory of happiness for him?

The Kova memory.

She lay her fingertips back onto his head, hesitating when his eyebrow twitched. She continued, thinking deep about the day Lotor adopted Kova. He was a child, about eleven or twelve, and it was after he completed full time training and spent most of his hours in the throne room. He found it boring most of the time having to listen to different imperial conversations constantly. Kova tended to wander around Central Command, yet he never really confronted Lotor until that day. She remembered him almost naming him, taking him as his own. It was a fond, child appropriate kind of moment for him.

She tried to think of something else to put into his head.

She remembered one time he went on an expedition with her. This was to find a specific kind of medicine that could enhance the effects of quintessence on people, and they journeyed through a dense jungle. She struggled with getting through the thick vines while he reveled in it. He was pointing at different things, telling her what he knew about them. This was a height for Lotor and Haggar, he was about fourteen, a young teenager, one who sought happiness above all else. He tried very hard to impress her and get her approval.

Lotor’s eyes shot open and Honerva and Francis jumped back. His eyes moved up, and he began to actually growl.

“What the heck, Lotor.” Gibby backed away.

But then a flash of realization hit his face. “What are you doing to me? What did you just put me through?”

“Huh?”

“The jungle, I was in some sort of a jungle!” He sat up.

This woke Allura up, and she sat up along with him. “What is going on?”

His eyes darted to her, wide with some kind of confusion and shock. “You, you were..” Memories were crashing into him all at once. There were memories of him in an underwater suit, swimming through a deep ocean. There were even more memories of him exploring deserts and climbing mountains. He grabbed her by the shoulders and stared right into her face. He saw flashes of pink and purple again, beautiful cotton candy skies and ground accented with bright neon blues. “You were with me. On Oriande.” He turned to look at Honerva. He saw a memory of them back at the temple at the capital. Honerva was hugging him goodbye while he proceeded to leave with his father with hiking gear on their backs. “Father went with me on an exploration a few movements ago, did he not?”

“Yes, you did.” Honerva felt her heart warm. Her son was back.

“Yes! We got him!” Allura celebrated.

Honerva just unexpectedly brought back all of the memories that lied in the second layer of Lotor’s head. It was just like before, he knew exactly of when each of them happened and how he felt during the time. He even got memories from the reality he got from the ceremony of joining days ago, the one where he was a skier. It was all so much that a huge smile formed across his face and tears formed in his eyes.

However, the celebration came to an abrupt stop when Francis noticed something. She got up and went over to Belle. She felt her forehead, which was searing hot. That gesture alone should’ve woken her up. Concern flooded onto her face. “Belle, honey. Wake up.”

“Is she okay?” Lotor kneeled down by her. With the memories of exploration, he got memories of Belle. He knew that he was very protective over her, and that she reminded him of his children that he had in Reality X-2. (yes, he got those memories too)

She didn’t move. She wasn’t even breathing.

  
____

 

Alfor was the first one up. These trials were nothing like he expected. They were not something out of a traditional courtroom. They were definitely not something people enjoyed watching. However, everyone in the Final Reality seemed quite calm with watching Alfor have wires punctured into his skin, forced a series of questions. At some moments they even cheered.

He knew Lady Azaria got everyone on her side before this went down.

“We have one final question for you, Alfor.” Lady Azaria asked. “Before you died you had fought on foot on your burning planet, correct? Why did you not evacuate your people before they were genocided?”

Alfor was sweating. Sweat was running all down the back of his neck, all down his forehead, his hands. There was some kind of stimulation coming from the wires going directly to the brain and translating all of his senses into pain anytime he attempted to resist a question or lied. “Because… because I was…” he sucked in a breath, knowing that he might as well tell the truth. “I focused on my daughter first. Zarkon had already gotten my wife… I sent my daughter away… he attacked too quickly.”

“Do you trust your friend now?”

Alfor looked over at Zarkon. Zarkon looked like he was about to piss his very pants. These trials were physically forcing the truth out of Alfor. It wasn’t like you could plead the fifth or just lie to get through it, it was like nothing they have experienced before. No matter how much resistance you put against it the words of truth would tumble from your mouth. “Zarkon has become corrupted… he and his wife tried to pave a better pathway for us but became too obsessed. After he was corrupted he was not himself… it wasn’t his fault… but he brought it upon himself. I trust him now.”

The wires unhooked themselves all at once from Alfor. The audience clapped for him- actually up on their feet cheering. He couldn’t figure out if it was because it was over or because they were enjoying the fact that he was in actual pain. He stumbled over to the front pew where his team all sat.

Blaytz, Trigel, and Gyrgan all went. Blaytz didn’t have any trouble holding back. He was the one person who always told the truth, even without trial he never lied. He answered questions about his rivalry he used to have with Alfor, answered another question about several one night stands he had, and even answered a question of why he once accidentally blew up an entire shopping center. Trigel relied on intelligence. For her it was hard because even though she had nothing to hide, during the trail she thought of ways to get out of it. It only made the trail resist against her more, and with Lady Azaria asking the questions, it was extra infuriating. Gyrgan was like Blaytz, only he has done nothing wrong his whole life. Lady Azaria and the Official found that boring about him.

Now let me remind you, their lead anxiety with this was that they would accidentally give away the whereabouts of the travelers. They were suspecting that they already knew where they were and where they were heading, which was really, really bad. No questions about them came up at all.

Until they got to Zarkon.

The audience all watched in interest when he stood up at the front. He felt their eyes burn right into him, he felt embarrassed and weak. This was a feeling he hasn’t felt in over ten thousand years. The last time he felt this way was when he had to accept defeat of his planet in the smaller wars that took place before the planetary alliance that formed his group. Of course with him there was going to be a lot said, and by watching the others struggle with the trial, their plan of simply lying or not answering questions was out the window.

The wires pierced themselves into his neck, back, arms, and head. He seethed with the stinging pain, trying hard not to let it show. Lady Azaria and the Official in front of him were almost doubled in his frayed vision. They slowly focused in, and they held straight faces as they began to first question.

“Zarkon Sincline of Daibazaal.” The Official asked. The mask he worn over most of his face resembled a galra soldier’s. “It is apparent that in these past few weeks you have been here you repaired two vital relationships with your wife and with your son. Can you tell us of how you met your wife?”

Well that’s easy. “Honerva was brought to my planet by Alfor to help work on experiments with a physical rift in my planet’s crust. I offered myself as extra help, however, she never needed it. I still wanted to be apart of it. We began working together everyday and I fell in love with her.”

“You have shown extreme signs of a greater form of racism specifically to her people. How come you fell in love with her?”

“That was not until after I had become corrupted.”

“How did you become corrupted?”

“I lied to my friends.” Zarkon could feel sudden extra pain in his head when he paused before answering that one. “I wanted to save my wife, who was also pregnant with my child. Alfor never listened to me. I already knew he was going to deny me in taking the action, and I needed him to be apart of it. In the rift these… things attacked us. When I woke up I was in a room, and my head was swarming with frantic, dark thoughts and wants. Honerva did not recognize me. I found out that Alfor destroyed my planet, and I declared war.”

“In the timeframe of all of this, when was your son born? How old was he when you defeated Alfor?” Lady Azaria began asking the questions, more serious and determined. She was trying to get down to something now.

“Lotor was born only three movements after the war began. He was born early, yet he was still healthy. I destroyed Altea within a movement after. He was still a newborn.”

“How old was Princess Allura?”

“She was… the age of sixteen? Seventeen, maybe?”

“Allura and Lotor are seventeen years apart?”

“Yes.”

The crowd gasped. Now mind you, most of this crowd went off aging systems related to Earth with an eighty year lifespan. Seventeen years was a huge difference and extremely messed up in romantic terms.

“But my son ages like a Galra. He and Allura are roughly the same physical age now and-“ a great amount of pain struck him, and he yelled out.

“We did not ask for any extra input.” Azaria said sharply. “Do you believe that Allura and Lotor were meant to be together? Does Alfor believe the same?” She said sharply, almost seething through her teeth.

“I certainly think that Lotor is very happy with her, yes. She brings out a light in him that even I could not crush beneath my heel in the years that I was a tyrant. Alfor believes Allura belongs with someone who would protect her, but also believe in her being able to make her own decisions and do her own actions. Lotor believes greatly in Allura. He is almost like her number one fan.”

“You believe that two people, one born 7293 e.p. one born 7310 e.p. are truly compatible?” She even brought up their specific birth years. This woman was insane. Was she really just asking these questions just to out them to the entire population? Yes.

Zarkon felt a strange frustration roll through him. He felt himself blurt out “There is a prophecy of them and you know very well of it!” in his dark, blood curdling voice.

The audience was shocked.

Lady Azaria felt a smile upon her face. “Indeed there is. How do you know of it?”

Zarkon tried so hard to fight back. He really did, but when he felt his mouth open again, he knew it was all over. “Belle…. and Francis.”

“And what did they tell you to do here while they went off on their little field trip?”

Zarkon bit his lip. He saw Alfor out of the corner of his eye with a face of great terror. _Don’t say it_. “They told us nothing. We decided that we start a rebellion against you.”

The wires released themselves from Zarkon. He fell to the floor, and the last thing he saw was the Official holding a hand out, shooting a dark matter out of his palm.

 

 

 


	16. Author’s note (please read)

_**Yall’s Wild. You all are VERY wild.** _

 

_**So I have gotten requests not only in my instagram DMs but now apparently on here as well to make certain content of certain ships. I am going to just explain why some of this stuff is NOT okay.** _

 

_**First off, Belle. I have mentioned several times that she was nine. I had also mentioned many, many times that she is a CHILD. I don’t know what kind of messed up loli shit you all are ON but MY GOD. There will be no romantic or sexual reference to Lotor or Francis. Francis is a 30 year old. Lotor is also an adult. Her relationship with them stands as one of family, as Francis adopted her and she has a very much sibling like relationship with Lotor.** _

 

_**Second off, the Honerva and Francis thing. THATS REALLY FUCKED UP. I do NOT tolerate Mother and Daughter shipping. Someone made me fanart, and let me tell you, it was kind of disturbing. Francis is Honerva’s mother and nothing else.** _

 

_**And finally I will just tell you now that the point of this fanfic is not to give you fun on a lonely Friday night. It’s purely a story of character development and journey. Yes, there is already a Lotura sexual innuendo, and there will be a lot more, but I don’t play these games. Whether you are joking or not, I do not find it funny.** _

 

_**Fanart is totally okay for the fic, just let me know that you are doing it first, and PLEASE do NOT make it a weird fetish. The only smut I would allow is art in reference to one of the Lotura scenes and that is it.** _

 

_**Next chapter will likely be posted tomorrow. I apologize for the delay.** _


	17. Death is a swelling storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coran experiences a transition, yet it is nothing like he expected. Belle remains in a state of coma while the rest of the group begins feeling the effects of dehydration when they’re in the desert longer than they expected.   
> Zarkon wakes up in a prison cell to see all of his friends in an odd state of hopelessness. Lady Azaria makes a move on him.   
> Lotor and Allura enter Belle’s mind as last resort.

Now on Earth, it’s been a few years. Lance and Keith had gotten married and adopted a child. Hunk and Shay had two kids. Pidge remained alone and continued advancing the Holt family project. Shiro and Curtis explored the universe together.

It’s been nine years since the end of the war.

Now on Altea you’d expect everything to be happy. Everything was war free. They’ve been following Earth with their timeline, and it was a central hub for all activity among space. However, on this day, it was not particularly happy. They had to finally say goodbye to someone who was a great friend of theirs. He lived a long and joyous life, however, he passed away quickly and unexpectedly due to an illness that he just simply could not fight off. It was similar to the illness of FFI in humans, where the part of the brain that controls the sleep-wake cycles becomes interrupted or destroyed, and the brain could no longer enter the vital deep sleep that we need to survive. There was a cure for humans. For Alteans- there was no cure.

Coran Hiermonymous Wimbleton Smythe was about 65 years old when this day came along. He knew his death was coming, and he reminded all of the paladins that everything was going to be alright and that his work in the universe was done. He helped end a war. He rebuilt Altea. He watched kids grow up to become amazing people. He honored Allura every year.

He thought about how he was finally going to be with Allura and Alfor again, the two closest people in his life were waiting for him. The paladins said that they saw the souls of the others standing there, welcoming Allura and Honerva into an afterlife. There had to be an afterlife, life was way too short to be just some kind of pointless story. It was his time to go. Soon it would be the paladins’ time to go as well, and he hoped not too soon.

The ceremony was beautiful. Coran’s favorite place was the woods, so they held it in a section of trees that had a crisp and azure stream running through where the greenest of grass and most pink of flowers were. There was not a dry eye. It was a very honorable way to go, and the paladins just had to keep reminding themselves that Allura was waiting for him and so was her father, probably up there to welcome him with open arms.

  
Now please do not get mad at me. For Coran, that wasn’t the case.

  
When he closed his eyes and opened them back up, he was laying in a place that looked to be made of white marble, still in his white and orange funeral suit. It was insanely quiet there. His blurred vision focused out to see a lady standing above him. She seemed to be made out of silver, grey and silver curls reached her bony shoulders, her face dangerously beautiful. She had a peaceful smile painted across her lips and she held her hand out to help him off the ground.

“Where am I?” He asked.

“You are currently at the Center of Existence. Here is where the living realities and the afterlives all intersect one another. Usually there would be somebody else here to greet you, but I am the one who was sent. I am Lady Azaria.” She said. Her voice was that of water, and it made Coran feel like he was floating in it.

Around them on the never ending white walls memories began popping up. There was the first one of Coran and his Pop-pop sitting together, looking at plans for the Castle of Lions. He was the age of a mere toddler, and he smiled and pointed at different parts of the blue prints while his grandfather explained them to him.

“You lived an innocent life, one almost free of sin. You always had a kind heart and you longed to do the right thing. My afterlife accepts people who may have done a lot wrong in their past but strive to fix it, yet never get the time to in their first life. It is also a haven for those who have done extraordinary things, and in your case, you fought and ended a war. You are an easy acceptance.” She said. Another memory popped up of him and Alfor together, while Alfor was introducing Allura for the first time. “You were best friends with King Alfor, and godfather to his daughter. You took care of that little girl and whenever her parents were not around to pay attention you always did. Allura grew up to be an extraordinary being and it was mostly because of you. In the wake of Alfor’s death, you were asked to step up and protect her. She protected you.”

Coran felt tears welling in his eyes. “Allura… I wish to be united with her again, along with Alfor.”

Lady Azaria’s face seemed very strange, almost like she was offended at him. “You will, with time. Unfortunately there has been an interruption in my afterlife, the one where they dwell.”

Before he could even get another word out, the center of existence faded out completely black and he was thrown right into a void. The last thing he felt was freezing cold wind, the kind that makes your bones ache.

——

“We need to get to some source of water. This water that we have rationed is not going to last us.” Lotor said, pouring water from a canteen over Belle’s unconscious head. Francis held her in her lap. They took off her shirt, leaving her in a tank top, and eventually got her breathing again when Allura laid a hand on her chest and began healing it. Her breaths were slow and labored, which was better than nothing but still a negative. “Mother, look at the maps and try to see if you can find the closest oasis.”

Honerva nodded, shifting through her bag and pulling out one of the maps.

“My 3DS says it’s 147 degrees out. That’s way too hot for anyone to travel, human or not.” Gibby said. Yes, the kid brought a 3DS with him. “And like Belle already fried as hell. Is she gonna be okay?”

“Yes, Gibby, she will be fine.” Francis said. She let out a long breath. “Hopefully.” She was on the brink of tears, and when Honerva placed a hand on her shoulder, she held onto it.

Allura grabbed Lotor’s hand and placed it on Belle’s wet forehead. Now to remind you, Lotor was still missing his innermost memories, which included the ones of actual love. He remembered being affiliated with Allura on the trip to Oriande but that was it, so when she grabbed his hand like that he shot her some kind of look. She ignored it.

“I am showing you how to heal.” Allura said. “You never passed the Oriande trials but you have the abilities.” Her hand began to glow. “Focus your energy right into your palm.”

Lotor focused on his palm, feeling Allura’s hand cooling against his. He could feel her energy coursing through his veins, and with that he took his same energy and brought it down to his fingertips. They themselves began to glow. She let go of his hand, and he continued along with it. “Yes, like that. Tell me what you feel.”

“My hand feels cold.”

“Other than that.”

Honerva looked up from the map and watched this. Her son was using a very beautiful technique. It was incredible to watch. “Do you feel Belle’s energy?” She asked him with wonder.

He focused harder. “It’s… erratic. I can feel it in her head and it is like it is…” He fell silent. What exactly was he feeling? It was not his sense of touch. It was like some kind of emotion that made him want to curl up into a ball and hide away from everything, and it was her emotion. Even in her little coma she was raging with thoughts.

“Perhaps you can try what I did to you. I may have lost most of my dark magic abilities but I was able to get into your head. You have a close connection to the girl. She views you as an older brother and we all know it.”

Lotor focused harder. Was he really just gonna raid her mind like that? She was showing symptoms of heat stroke, but if what Francis had mentioned was true, then Lady Azaria was in Belle’s mind and she was going through her thoughts. He focused as hard as he could. He felt as if his connection to her had to do with him feeling like she was a younger sister, or perhaps even a daughter to him. I thought about his own children in reality X-2, of Eden, Zion, Xeona, and Zenon.

 

He was standing in a forest in the middle of a big swirling storm. He looked upwards into the gusty sky to see some kind of triangle with two of it’s three points lit up. One point was purple, the other point was magenta. The third point was not lit up, but it was a light pink.

He looked around him and began walking, struggling to get through with the strength of the awful wind that blinded him. He saw that about thirty feet in front of him was a figure- a small child sitting in the grass. When he approached her he saw that her brown hair was very familiar, only slightly more curly. Belle.

“Belle. What is going on?” He called out. The child didn’t move. Her eyes were shut. He could also see clearly that her marks were flickering like they were trying to light up and couldn’t.

He blinked and was suddenly back in the cave. “I saw her. She was in a forest. She was sitting there and unresponsive.” He said quickly, shocked that he was able to do that. He was also impressed by himself, he always thought of himself as a lesser altean because he never unlocked those abilities and he was half galra.

“What else did you see?” Francis asked urgently. She knew exactly what this was.

“Chaos. A dangerous storm was surrounding me and up in the clouds there was a triangle with two points lit up with the third point dimmed.”

“What could that mean?” Gibby questioned. “I swear all this magic glowy stuff is just one big riddle.”

“In all likelihood the storm is her way of protecting her thoughts. Lady Azaria is trying to hack into her head as he speak. Belle is preventing that from happening. ” Francis said. “The three points could represent the prophecy she mentioned to me. The two points lit up are you and her. The third point could be Allura.”

“Me? Why me?”

“Because the three of you share the same ultimate destiny. You and Lotor are the key to things like unlocking the city, while she is another part.” She answered. “Now I am not certain what that is, but with the storm, we know she was smart enough to protect herself. Last time Azaria got into her mind she was unable to do so.”

Allura spoke. “Do you think Lotor and I could help her in some way, since we are all connected?”

Lotor and Allura being romantically connected was apart of the prophecy, while Belle was a major prophet herself. She was meant to do something in her first life and also meant to do something here. The issue was that with her early death she was stuck as a nine year old, she was needy, she needed to be watched over and taken care of. When Allura looked down at her comatose face, she knew that she wanted to protect her from this dark curse that Lady Azaria had to offer.

“We need to heal her of this. We cannot keep wasting time trying to figure these questions out.” Honerva said seriously. When I sent a storm through my mind to attack the paladins of voltron I was not able to do it for long. Eventually Belle will give in. Lady Azaria’s connection should have been severed with how far we have travelled. This tells us she is determined.”

“She always finds a way. Until we get to the city she will always persist for her precious answers.” Francis frowned, muttering.

“With her in this state of coma, we need to get to this oasis right here.” Honerva held up a map, pointing to a small point with a drawing of a palm tree on it. “Desert oasises have special properties on alteans, properties that can heal and protect not only the body, but the mind as well. We know that she cannot keep that up by herself forever, so we must go now.”

“When we get to the City of Forgotten, Lady Azaria will no longer have that access to her head, so we must hurry.” Francis said. “We must begin travelling again. Everybody up, get your stuff. Leave whatever you don’t need.”

“I shall carry her.” Lotor picked the child up carefully. “You-” He spoke to Allura. “Heal her while I walk. She is running heat exhaustion. Last thing we need is for her to have a seizure.”

“Of course.” Allura said. She laid her hand over Belle’s forehead and began healing. “You stated you would never forgive Lady Azaria for what she did to her last time. You would go on and on about it to me.”

Lotor’s face froze up, and he looked down at her with curved eyebrows. He was worried. “You are the mother of my children in Reality X-2. I remember that. I remember that you care deeply for them. If you had to watch this happen to one of them, how would you feel? Our first son Zion was born with a chronic disease. When he had his first flair up we thought we were going to lose him. You mourned every night until he got better. This is the case with Belle.” Belle was healthy. She was never born with chronic illness, however, her head was connected to a deadly person. Lady Azaria was a parasite. She had no right threatening the life of a nine year old.

“Watching it happen to her is painful. To my own child?” They began walking. “I would give my life for them not to suffer.”

“Good. Because that may be what you would have to do. It is extremely hot, and by the looks of it a long journey. You need to continue to heal her the rest of the way since you do it the best. You may…” He trailed off his words. He then thought of how he and Allura could take turns healing Belle. “We may end up dying exhausting that much energy.”

“I know.”

Francis looked at this was pity. “I do not possess the powers that you do. Belle is very much my second daughter. I thank you deeply for doing this”

None of them could begin to imagine just how awful this made Francis feel. When she took custody as a parent and became her mentor, her missing Honerva fed right into their relationship growing. Francis and Belle became mother and daughter. She scolds her, comforts her, listens to what she has to say, make sure her shoes are always tied and always provides her with her needs. For her not to be able to help at all in this situation was agonizing.

“We can take turns.” Lotor offered.

They all set out outside the cave. The overbearing heat was truly something else. They were not sure they would survive.

  
———-

  
Zarkon woke up on a cold floor. When his vision focused in he saw Alfor sitting against a stone wall, looking completely sorry for himself. “They interrogated me the entire night. Every question they got the answer to, and our friends are in danger.” He said quietly, as if he was already talking before.

He sat up achingly slow, pain shooting up his back. “Where are we?”

“Why does it matter? They seek to destroy all of them tomorrow. All except for my daughter, your son, and the little girl. They know where they are. I am not even sure if they could even reach the city before it is too late. Everybody here hates us. They’re calling for our deaths.”

Zarkon looked over. They were in a dungeon. Trigel, Blaytz, and Gyrgan were all like Alfor, sitting around the cell and fiddling their fingers. “They will make it.”

“Who says?” Blaytz sighed.

“Are you all truly giving up?”

“Zarkon,” Trigel closed her eyes. “This realm is not like anything we have ever experienced. It is not reality, it is not a political issue. It is not an imperial issue. It is not something we can simply slice in half and call it a day. What we have witnessed last night with Lady Azaria we are simply no possible match for her. She is a dictator. You have not seen what we had to see yet, and you have not heard what she had to say.”

Zarkon couldn’t believe his ears. It was like they all just turned emo on him. What even happened? “What did she say?”

“She forced us to watch some kind of surveillance clip of the group traveling throughout the desert just before they got beyond what they could see while you were knocked out. Then she began biohacking Belle because that is they only way she could still monitor them and get more answers. She said the child knows much more than we do.” Gyrgan said. “She was trying to get into her head and eventually the kid fell into a heat induced coma because of how much energy was exerted in the process. She almost killed her. They’re trying to get to an oasis? Trying to bring her back?”

“Has my son gotten back any memories?”

“Yes. He did.”

Zarkon sighed with relief.

All relief came to an end when they all heard footsteps- fast and angry heels hitting the ground. There came Lady Azaria dressed like a businesswoman, her silver hair tied into a strict bun with a noticeable frown pulling at her lips. “You have awoken.” She said to Zarkon. “You will come with me.” The cell door opened. Typically in this situation they would have all gotten up and tackled her, yet none of them did. Zarkon felt a force come over him that forced him upright, walking his legs out of the cell. He couldn’t control his own limbs. Azaria’s eyes were set hard on him.

His legs led him down the hall and up tall steps to a solid metal door, which opened out to a blank white room.

“You will stand right in the middle of this room.” She directed. “We are going to access some of the deepest of your memories here.”

“Have you not already seen enough? Am I not to be ashamed of my actions? If so, I already am.” He spat.

She gave him a smirk. “Oh, Zarkon. You are missing the point of all of this. I truly believe that I can help your son, and I also believe I can set you free without any charges- that’s if… you’re strong enough.” She placed a hand on his back, not in a shoving or aggressive way, but in a gentle way. His legs stopped moving him when he stepped into a small silver circle on the floor. “Now this will not be in any way painful like the last interrogation. There is nothing to worry about.”

On one of the white walls popped up footage of Zarkon fighting in the war.

“You were truly a strong warrior. Physically and intellectually you are able to conquer anything you want. You want the planet? You get the planet. That has been your dynamic. This is what attracted your wife to you. She saw great power within a caring heart. When you turned to the more evil terms of things, she went right down with you.”

Honerva came up onto the screen, back when she had blue hair and her gold eyes were brighter, happier, and more charismatic. Zarkon missed that and was happy to see that her personality was beginning to come back within the time they were in the afterlife.

Too bad she was probably about to be killed, never to be remembered ever again.

“Your son was actually planned way ahead of time. When his soul was created we knew he was going to belong to you two. He would have your physical ability with her intelligence. He would be unstoppable. I now realize I would never wish his death in any circumstance because of how useful he is.” Another scene came onto the wall. It was of the group traveling in the desert. “I am afraid that although Lotor is able to resist in the extreme heat of the desert outside our boundaries, your wife is not. She will not survive.”

“You are lying. Alfor told me-“

“Alfor is defective. He believes we are trying to kill your wife deliberately but there was a miscommunication. We will not. Belle, Lotor, and Allura are all physically more enhanced and can withstand the desert well, but it will eventually be rid of Honerva, Francis, and Gibby. I wish I could help, but that is just the way things are. They made the decision and you helped.” She said, a fake pity on the edge of her tone.

That gave Zarkon so much anger that he could feel himself shaking with rage. He somehow went against her hold and swung his arm around at her. She simply took a step back, held up her hand, and he felt himself freeze right into a lunging position. His mind was telling him to murder her, but he couldn’t.

“We do not want to get on bad terms, now do we?” She stepped back up closer to him, putting a hand onto his shoulder. Her face was very close to his. She stood on her tiptoes, bringing her lips to his ear. She whispered. “I want you on my good side. You are intriguing to me.” She brought her hand to his jaw, turning his head. Her lips met his.

He felt completely awful. He wanted to move away. He wanted to end her. How dare she speak of his wife and proceed to kiss him?

She let go, walking off. “You will continue to stay in here. We need to observe you and figure out just what to do with you.”

The door behind him shut, leaving him all alone to drown into his thoughts.

  
——

  
They were all dragging their feet at this point, no sweat coming off of their dry skin.

“We…. we need to stop.” Gibby fell onto his knees, face planting in the hot sand. The sand began burning him, but he could not even begin to notice. “We ran out of water two hours ago.”

Francis looked off at the skyline, which was beginning to darken into it’s nighttime ombré color. She looked back at the rest of the group. These were like her actual children. Gibby and Belle were little kids that she had in her custody. Honerva was her actual daughter. Lotor was her grandson, and Allura was her apprentice. It pained her heart to watch them all suffer, but they needed to keep going.

And yet… they were all about to fall over. Hopelessness was washing over their faces. Back in reality they would just hop right onto a ship and fly there. This- this was just mediocre. “Honerva, where are we on the map?”

Honerva looked at her map and then looked at the surroundings. She always had an answer for everything, but this time, she was not sure. Around them was nothing but sand. There was no landmark to give them a clue of where they were. They should have at least reached the oasis by now. “I do not know.”

Right then she heard the sound of screaming. Chills shot up her back, she felt light on her toes, she felt pain in her ears. The screaming was a man’s voice. She gasped, looking around for whatever source she could find. “Do you hear that?” It took her a moment to recognize who’s screaming it actually was.

The realization hit her like a cold knife to the back. It was Lotor’s.

She made eye contact with him, yet he was not screaming. His mouth wasn’t even open. “What?” He said.

The screaming stopped. She shook her head. “I heard you screaming.”

“No scream has left my mouth, Mother.”

“Yeah, what are you even talking about?” Gibby flipped onto his back, looking up at the sunset sky.

Honerva felt herself shut down. She mentioned nothing more.

“I still feel like I can continue on walking.” Lotor said. He was handling this quite well since he got his knowledge of exploration back, even with holding a 50 pound child in his arms.

“Surprisingly I feel fine as well. I am tired but I can keep going.” Allura said. “However, it’s hard for me to continue healing her.”

“We need a break.” Francis admitted. “We may need to face a decision. We may need to split up. Honerva and Gibby will stay with me while you two carry Belle off to the oasis. We will catch up.”

“You don’t have any water.” Allura’s hand left Belle’s forehead and went to Gibby’s head. Her eyes widened. “Your bodies are going to begin shutting down soon. You are already experiencing hallucinations.” She moved her finger across Gibby’s vision. His eyes couldn’t even focus.

“I give up! Life is at it’s end even though I loved it twice!” He cried out. “Oh, God, come and get me now! For my time has gone, it has left me a cold and bitter man!”

“Gibby, it is fine.” Lotor said. He knew complaining and being overdramatic was not going to help.

He continued. “No! No… for this is our end, no more pages to turn! Just go on without me!” He spoke like he was in a dramatic high school play.

“This place holds magical energy. We are magical people.” Honerva started to say, getting everyone’s attention. “Back in my first life I was able to use my mind to scan the universe, even without quintessence.”

Lotor looked down at Allura. “It is you. You can do that”

Allura shook her head. “I tried that already. Have you tried?”

“If you cannot do it, then I cannot.” He said. “Mother?” He turned.

Honerva knelt down into the sand, planting her cracked palm into it. She closed her eyes. She tried to connect her energy to the energy of the desert but she couldn’t. She wanted to scream with frustration. Her lungs were aching for rest, and ever since Lady Azaria enabled pain her old bones have been doing a great deal on her. “The only magical person left who can possibly try is Belle but she is still unconscious.”

Lotor looked down at the kid’s face, her olive eyelids still shut closed. “The three points in her sky…” he murmured. His eyes shot wide with realization. “Allura, come here.” He kneeled down and lay Belle into the sand. “You are going to enter her mind with me.”

“Good idea.” She said. It was their only idea. She came down onto her knees, placing her hand across her forehead. Lotor’s hand went on top of hers. Together, quickly, their hands glowed up so bright that Honerva, Francis, and Gibby had to cover their eyes. When the light died down they saw that their eyes were closed, sitting completely still. The three of them together looked like a statue.

  
When Lotor and Allura opened their eyes they were in the stormy forest from before. Allura felt the soft grass with her hand and savored it, it was so much better than the hot sand of the desert. She stood, looking upwards to the sky. She saw what Lotor was talking about earlier. It was the triangle with the three points in the clouds, the pink, magenta, and purple points all began to light up. Lotor was next to her, watching this happen.

When the points lit up fully there was a burst of light, followed by a sound of trumpets. The storm immediately stopped. The clouds cleared out, replaced by a pink and purple sky. Up in the sky were floating masses with little neon blue lines around them. Huh. That was easy.

“Oriande?” Allura said. “It’s Oriande!”

Lotor remembered Oriande, the grasses, the pink rivers. It was a beautiful place, and it was what was in Belle’s mind.

He looked over to where he saw the child before. She was still sitting there, her eyes closed. Unlike what he witnessed before with her marks flickering, they were fully lit up. “The storm protecting her head from Lady Azaria must have went away because all three of us are present. Together we act as a shield.”

“Amazing…” Allura breathed. They jogged up to her. She saw that it was for sure Belle, just around two years younger. She was probably seven or six. “Why is she… isn’t she kind of transparent to you?” She reached a hand out to touch her but was startled when her hand fell right through her. “It is like she is not really here.”

“Perhaps she is somewhere else in her mind. My mother mentioned to me before that you have been in her mind. You should be our lead guide for figuring this out.”

“Well she looks younger here. Could this be some kind of memory? She hinted at visiting Oriande before, maybe this is when she visited.” She said. “We need to dig deeper. A person’s mind has many layers, each one acting as a trial. First we must figure out how to get out of this place here.”

He searched for a possible way. He pointed up to the mountain that was right beside them. “We head up to the temple. Just like before. Are you ready?”

“As always.” Allura said. She stood. “Well I guess we should just leave her here. She looks like she is meditating.”

“Of course. We need to find her main consciousness.” Lotor said. He reached out and grabbed Allura’s hand. She was surprised, you know, since he didn’t remember their relationship. This showed that he was willing to try, and that he was still fond of her. She closed her eyes for a second, feeling warm.

They began their journey..

 

 

 

 

 

 


	18. Forgiveness *

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor and Allura enter Belle’s mind and travel through several memories and find out some shocking revelations that could change their perception of her for good.   
> Francis, Honerva, and Gibby remain in the desert while the environment begins playing mind games on them.  
> Lady Azaria begins work on her ultimate plan- and uses Zarkon as her main weapon.  
> Allura talks to Lotor privately in a final attempt to get his deepest memories back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (NSFW WARNING AT THE END OF CHAPTER. It’s Lotura btw)
> 
> (Thank you all for such positive feedback. I’m happy I’m no longer seeing any inappropriate comments or requests. Also thank you for being so patient with me posting the chapter)

Lady Azaria was furious. She closed her eyes shut, frustrated. “They had figured out how to bond long before I expected them to. Impressive, I must admit, but that puts a fissure in my plan.” She walked around Zarkon, who was right now in a glass tube in the middle of the room as if he was an experiment. “However, he is a valuable weapon. He is strong, he is intelligent and analytical. If we can break him down to his inner tyrant then he can prove strong for a military force so that way we are ready once the Barrier is brought down.”

The Official took notes, pushing back his now silver hair. He liked dying his hair to correlate with his outfits everyday, and it usually had meaning. Silver meant planning into the right path. He was now becoming confident. “The other prisoners as well. We are keeping them… right?”

“Affirmative.” Lady Azaria said. “In Belle’s room there should be a small jewelry box if she left it. Find the box and burn it. Then change the settings in the desert to psychologically begin messing with Francis, her daughter, and that strange chubby kid. Not to kill them, but just for fun. We can kill them after they begin whatever revolution they’re planning.”

“I thought you wanted them to be killed in the desert? Are we keeping them alive?” The Official always though Lady Azaria was amazingly inconsistent. She changed her mind and shifted opposite from previous decisions, yet somehow, she always got to a certain goal. She looked back at him and shot him a look. He nodded, leaving the room.

Azaria approached the pod Zarkon was in. “And you, love, will be needed for quite a few tasks once we get through to your head.”

——

Lotor and Allura started catching up. It was just like the very first trip to Oriande, when Lotor was just getting to know Allura. Same concept here, his mind was still all bunked up and was missing literally everything he knew or felt of her.

They stood in front of the temple. “I missed Oriande. Of all my explorations this one was most favorable.” He commented. “Even though I failed the guardian trial, i still felt at home with my true heritage.”

“Belle’s head has certainly warped it.” Allura said, noticing that the temple was a slightly off color and it’s structure looked different.

“This is how she remembered it, not to mention she is from a different reality.” He said. “It is a funny thing. As people we always remember things differently from others. Our imagination acts as our experience’s final mold. Have you ever felt that?”

She smiled. “Of course.”

That smile. He felt that he knew it so well. It was so heartfelt and made his heart ping wildly. He smiled back. “Tell me when.”

“Well there was one time when I was little that I begged my father to take me to a fair- on planet Daibazaal, actually. He agreed to and most of it was jousting and fist fighting. He enjoyed it and had a blast. I just remember not trying to get smushed by tall, muscular guys who kept challenging others. I was quite frightened.”

He chuckled. “Sometimes I wonder just how my father fell for my mother. Alteans and Galrans are quite different from each other.”

“You want to know what we have the same?” She began feeling along the patterns on the walls outside of the temple.

“What?”

“We have an amazing amount of willpower.”

Thunder was heard off somewhere indistinguishable, but, they did look to the inside of the temple for the sound. Out of nowhere it was like they were thrown right into there, zooming through many memories at once. There were flashes of a newborn crying, a baby taking her first steps, a toddler crying over a broken toy, and all of them were Belle.

  
They stood in a classroom. Inside were two individuals, a teacher who stood at the board and Belle who stood alongside him, looking up at some sort of math equation. “ _I already did this problem. I don’t wanna do it again.” She said. “What does this have to do with my training anyway? I’m supposed to be training with Allura. Where is she?”_

_“She is ill. She wishes not to get you ill.”_

_“Well I am already ill. I know I am dying. You are just trying to force me to advance science before I die.”_ She looked back up to the board. She took her hand and swiped it across the equation, erasing it. _“Azaria told me I was going to die soon.”_

The teacher sighed. “ _You are not ill. And Azaria isn’t real.”_

“ _Then how come these doctors always wanna do tests on me?_ ” She said with an edge to her tone. “ _Honestly if you’re just going to lie to me Professor Ahnaad you don’t need to teach me. Besides, half of your teachings aren’t even correct.”_ She hopped down from the stool she was standing on. She went and sat on her desk, putting her feet up. “ _I’m bored. I’m about two seconds away from calling my mommy and going home.”_

“ _Hope Renn, I understand you may be bored of what I have to offer but the point of you being here is to help us. You can change the world. I have no desire of using your head for my own gain. I do not get paid enough to do that.”_ Professor Ahnaad said, shuffling through science logs on his desk. “ _Besides, you have a brilliant future. I want to watch you grow.”_

“ _How do you expect me to change anything if you don’t believe what I say half the time?” She shut her eyes, exhaling. “I am going to die soon. There will be no growing up for me to do.”_

_“Now, don’t say that.”_

_“You know it’s true.”_

  
This memory faded back out. Now Lotor and Allura were standing in a bedroom. This bedroom had paintings all over the walls, as well as stuffed cat dolls just about everywhere- on the bed, on the floor, on the shelves. Yet this wasn’t an average bedroom, there was something off about it. “This is a hospital room.” Lotor gestured to a board on the wall with different vital readings. “She… lived here.”

“This is obviously Belle’s room. She must’ve had to stay here for a long, long time.” Allura said sadly, her volume drifting off. “What was going on with her?”

“I am not sure, but who is Hope Renn?”

“This was my life.” They heard her voice behind them. They turned around. Her hair was long instead of just at her shoulders like she was still just a flashback, but she was interacting with them. She was wearing pajamas with hospital boots on her feet, confirming their theory. She lived at this hospital. “Do you really wanna know about my first life, because there’s nothing much to see. What are you even doing in my head? These are my memories, not yours.” She looked upset. Her eyebrows furrowed and her doe eyes gave them guilt.

“We are all still trapped in the desert. It’s directions don’t match up with our maps, even Honerva cannot figure it out.” Allura said. “We came in here to retrieve you because we believe you will be able to save us. Some of us are on the edge of death. We think you have a connection to the desert and can guide us out.”

Belle shot her a look. “You truly believe I can help you all? You’re wrong, Allura. You and Lotor have a connection to the desert. Your connection to it doesn’t work right now because his mind is still dinked up.” She looked up at him. “How do you still not remember loving her?”

Lotor raised an eyebrow. “I do not, however, I enjoy her a bit.”

Belle’s sassy attitude developed right into being sly, a sneaky smile crept onto her face. “Oh, you enjoy her quite a bit alright. You wish you remember. I can hear your thoughts right now from both of you, and unless you leave my head right now, I’m just gonna have to force you out. Or, I don’t know, I can expose all of your deepest, _spiciest_ secrets.”

He tilted his head. He noticed something was completely off about her. Her demeanor was completely different, the way she was standing was kind of awkward. “This is just a guardian, Allura. This is a hallucination protecting us from Belle’s deepest thoughts.” This little girl standing before them was not the Belle they were looking for. This was just a test, a trick.

“Until we reach the deepest part of her head, we won’t be able to exit her mind.” Allura said. “We need to get past this memory of hers.”

Her brown eyes filled with tears. She began to scream, stopping her foot down. “You never cared about me! You never, ever, _ever_ did! I hope you die forever!” The lights of the room started flickering violently. They stepped back, frightened by this. Well that went from 0-100 real fast.

Lotor drew his sword, bringing it down on her. Allura tried to reach out and stop him, but it was too late.

  
Right then they were in a new room. In there were several doctors, human doctors and altean doctors, all holding clipboards and looking into a window. Lotor squeezed his eyes, still shocked that he would use his sword on Belle.

“I am sorry, Belle..” he whispered.

I mean, it wasn’t Belle. It was some kind of clone or diversion of her. They needed to find the real one, the one that they knew. They peered at what they were looking at.

Belle was in an empty observation room, sitting right in the middle. They heard her voice talking powerfully through the intercom.

 _“In another reality there is a war. It is a big war. Prince Lotor of the Galra Empire, who is the son of Empress Honerva, is to end it all. And when his time comes, his mother will avenge him and end Reality itself. All of us will be gone, but we can only assure that if we reach out and help her ourselves.”_ She spoke.

One of the doctors held down a button, speaking into a mic. “ _What is this war that you speak of? Who is Prince Lotor?_ ”

“ _A great woman once stated that existence is a vast idea, created by a greater being. This being runs us as nothing but an experiment, and when we die, we would have succeeded absolutely nothing. However, if we bring absolute chaos, we can throw everything so out of balance that our systematic oppressions would end. Everyone would be so great and bring such a potential on their own. We could break reality itself. We could all live in a superior second life, where we would all have a second chance.” She said. She completely dodged the question that they asked, but why? “That woman’s name is Azaria, and she lived such a fulfilling life in every reality she was in. She is the ultimate being, and one day you will see her power. You have to help me end this Reality so we can reach that. Our reality is the only one in which no one has made the afterlife that I speak of.”_

Lotor and Allura both could not believe their ears. Was that really Belle speaking? What the hell was she talking about? Why was she idolizing Azaria, and why did she want chaos?

The doctors began shuffling out of the room.

And here Lotor and Allura were, seeing the full truth for the first time.

One doctor stayed. It was only when she was the only one left that they could see who she was.

Melenor.

“Mother!” Allura reached out. Before she could run and give her a big hug, Lotor grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her.

“It is only a memory. They cannot see us.” He reminded her. She froze, nodding. He let go.

Melenor stepped up to the mic. “ _Belle, I know you are tired-“_

“ _Do not call me that! My name is Hope.”_

_“... Hope. It has been a long day for you. I’m going to make an exception and allow you to sleep for fourteen vargas tonight.” Melenor said. She seemed tired herself, like she was up all night working. “I have one question for you.”_

_“What?”_

_“You believe there are multiple universes?”_

_“Believe? I was born knowing. You’re the one who deemed me a prophet, and I know that right now you think I’m making this all up because I’m a kid, but I’m not. There are multiple universes, with multiple versions of us. We all intersect each other in our next life. After we die. Our reality is being punished and that is why I was sent here, because I know how to get us into living an afterlife as well.”_

Melenor put a hand over her face, sighing. “ _But what does chaos have to do with it?”_

_“Chaos will allow us to reach our fullest potential. Peace waters us down. The only way to open up our gateway to an afterlife is by becoming so great that we break down that wall.”_

Allura thought for a moment. “Maybe she is right…”

“Chaos over peace? How can that possibly open up doors?” Lotor was surprised that Allura, who was a well known goody goody, would even mention that idea.

She turned very serious. “There’s a fine line between chaos and peace. You taught me that.”

He didn’t know how to respond. She was completely right.

 

Peace and Chaos.

 

It was like light and dark. One could not exist without the other. They went hand in hand, they needed each other to prove their worth.

“Your father saw peace within his own chaos that he created for ten thousand years. To him you were the chaos that would ruin him, when you wanted to save lives. It depends how the person sees it. To Belle, she sees peace as complete systematic oppression.” She went on. “To her chaos is freedom. She’s right. Without certain rules and guidelines it gave those who are amazing more room to fly.”

“And people who are evil more room to destroy.” His voice went flat.

“But what if the evil is what created the rules?”

  
Everything went dark. Again.

  
A big bright light hit them in the eyes, and a sweet scent of juniberry wrapped their noses. They were in a forest, one of Altea, and they saw two girls sitting in the grass picking juniberries.

“ _Emperor Zarkon and Empress Honerva are going to have a kid soon._ ” Belle said happily, almost falling backwards when picking one. She wore overalls and a pretty shirt. She looked like childhood, just as she should look.

“ _How do you know?_ ” The other girl said. That girl was probably twelve years old, brown skin, long and curly white hair.

“ _Well in another reality he was born when you were a teenager. You were about to be seventeen, I think. He grew older than you though because you were in a cryopod for ten thousand years and you woke up and he was an adult and was a lot smarter and you fell in love with him but then he went crazy and you totally broke up with him. But it’s funny because you guys belong together. Your children would’ve been the sweetest, most talented things.”_

“That’s me…” Allura mouthed.

The younger Allura laughed. “ _Belle, you are so funny. You have the funniest stories.”_

Belle laughed. “ _Well it isn’t a story. It’s true. You’ll see someday. Not here though. You can’t fall in love with him, you’ll be an old and crusty teenager by the time he’s born.”_

Lotor and Allura looked at each other. How rare of a coincidence that they were ever compatible enough to be in a relationship with each other. They were soulmates, they were in a prophecy together, and if it weren’t for the war that they experienced in their reality, the prophecy would still be held off and just have a greater chance of never happening.

“ _Honerva did always want a kid..”_

_“Yeah she does. And they’re going to name him Lotor. Just watch.”_

“She knew of us.” Allura grabbed Lotor’s hand. “I know she has a connection to us now, but how strong is it?”

“This prophecy that we have been discussing must be something planned from the beginning.” Lotor said. “Yet I do not understand. Why us?”

Allura watched Belle’s face. She looked happy and content, much different than how she looked earlier in the hospital. “ _We seemed like good friends.”_

They needed to get to the next point. There was a pattern going. Unlike Honerva’s mind which had physical tasks for them, Belle’s mind proposed questions with solutions. The question right now was of how did she know, how long did she know, and what did she know.

“Her soul…” Allura whispered.

“What do you mean?”

“There are several different pieces to our souls, scattered and divided across different realities that reunite when we die. When hers was created and divided out, it must’ve been created right alongside ours by whoever the greatest creator is. That’s what a prophecy is. She must be the largest part of it and that is why she knows so well of us and our future.” She said. “Francis did mention that Belle was created to do something on Altea. Apparently that is not the case. We were guessing of it, but I was never quite sure. Now I fully believe that we are destined for something much bigger.”

The floor of the forest below them gave out, and they fell right down into something cold, dark, and painful, feeling their breath being sucked from their lungs and their hearts giving out.

——-

  
“Gibby, please try to stay awake.” Francis said.

Honerva looked upwards at the sky. It was nighttime now. Lotor, Allura, and Belle were still frozen in their positions. They were radiating light.   
In the sky, she watched three birds circle around in a perfect circle directly above them. Each of them sang a song- sounding like chimes. The notes together clashed but seemed to be telling her something.

“Honerva, are you okay?” Her mother asked. “You have been pondering quite a bit.”

“Those birds..”

“What birds?”

Honerva realized she hadn’t blinked in a good few minutes. When she painstakingly did, the birds vanished, along with their tune. She felt empty, staring into infinity with nothing left to think.

Gibby slowly tried to sit up. It was a lot cooler now, but the desert still prevailed in it’s attempt to mess them up. For the past three vargas he complained of something itching him, but nothing was the cause. “I keep hearing Spencer whispering to me.” They were hallucinations, and they were getting Honerva and Gibby the most. It must’ve been since Honerva was so old and Gibby was so young.

“Spencer?” Francis asked.

“He was my friend. He made us spaghetti tacos and his art projects always caught on fire. I hope in a different reality I am still alive and with him.” He said, hugging his knees. “He keeps whispering that the joke is on me.”

“In my life, I died with no regrets. I had no friends to leave behind… well.. I suppose my druids deserved a goodbye.” Honerva murmured. “I wonder why the pledged their loyalty to me. I did terrible acts of mass homicide, I killed many planets, many star systems-”

She stopped mumbling when Francis grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. “We must not look back on our past. We have a much bigger purpose now.”

Francis thought about her old life. She wondered if Honerva ever missed her father, because there was no Edmund in the Final Reality, and it would be nice if Lotor could meet him. The same thing happened with Allura’s mother. Along the way they wished they could figure out how to be reunited with them but that just wasn’t the focus.

Something out in the distance caught her eye. It was a figure, walking right towards them. The first thing she saw was the dark hair, the curved nose, and the gold eyes. She saw those before she even began to process who it was.

Then she got up and sprinted towards him. “Edmund!” She shouted. She approached him quickly, sand sinking into her boots, arms outstretched.

When she reached him he smiled warmly, holding his arms out as well. She flung herself to him, but nothing caught her.

She fell right onto her knees, looking around desperately for him. Nothing but the cool wind and harsh sand filled her senses.

He was not there.

“What the heck, Francis?” She heard Gibby say.

The last thing she felt was her heart pounding before she blacked out, face planting into the sand.

——

  
Azaria stood in Lotor’s room, looking around at the countless books and journals he has written. “The man is an artist.” She said. “Despite being logical, he’s creative, given the opportunity he would be quite musical. He is all around talented in everything he does. I shouldn’t have let him slip away now that I think of it, but it had to be done.” She went on.

Zarkon stood behind her. He was completely brainwashed.

“It is a shame you wouldn’t let him reach his true goals in his first life. What he does now is incredible.” She said, grabbing a book off of the shelf. She tried opening it, but it just wouldn’t. The pages didn’t even move beneath her fingers. “Now the thing is is that all of these books here are connected to his life source. Only those related to him or connected to him in certain ways can open them. They were left locked when he departed, even I cannot access them. You, however, can as a direct potent of his blood.” She handed the book to Zarkon.

He opened it with ease. “What am I to do with these?”

“Study them. Find his deepest weakness. Do not get attached to them.” She walked out of the room, leaving him in there.

Down the hallway she went, fast paced. She passed by a few people who bowed or saluted to her, but she ignored them. This was not the time for celebrity chit-chat.

She turned out the side door and stepped down the steps into the temple garden.

The garden was not like before with it’s bright colors and crystal clear water. Instead everything was dark grey and wilted, and this happened quickly. The garden belonged to Francis and Belle along with their life forces. You could easily tell of their current state. Garden alive, owners alive. Garden dead, owners dead.

This garden was dead. For sure now.

She walked forward cautiously, taking a leaf between her fingers. As soon as she touched it, it disintegrated into dust. Her eyebrows raised. “It is completely dead…”

Was this truly what she wanted? The garden was dying earlier but now it was just completely done for. There was no chance of bringing it back. In fact, she began to deeply worry.

That was until her eyes caught onto one bit of color. There was a single juniberry rose, glowing with it’s pink and purple colors. It stood proudly in the midst of all the wasteland, it’s green stem almost neon. Around it there was light. She closed her eyes and held out her arms towards, feeling it’s energy.

She felt Francis and Belle’s energy course through her veins.

A male voice distracted her. “Azaria, is there anything you need me to do?”

She turned around. It was The Official. “Make sure this garden is closed off, and that juniberry rose that still lives is taken care for. Nothing bad must happen to it.”

——

 

_“Azaria will take care of me!”_

Those were the first words they heard.

They lay on the ground in bitter pain. It was pitch black and they couldn’t see a thing until a light turned on, revealing a hospital containment room. There was a very angry little girl with her arms crossed across from a woman, who also sat on a chair. “ _You never took care of me. You let them interrogate me and test on me all day. And for what? Money? I ain’t doing it, Mom.”_

The woman she spoke to had to definitely be her mother. She had the same olive skin, brown hair, and brown eyes as her. The only difference was that her markings were red instead of purple. She got up from her chair and knelt in front of her. “ _We are doing this because you are not safe in your own hands. It is not for money. I want to protect you, and here you are offered a wonderful education and-“_

 _“Here I feel secluded. I only get to hang out with the doctor’s daughter and that’s it! They don’t let me talk to any of the other kids because they think I am dangerous. I know I might’ve tried to kill you but I won’t this time!”_ Tears filled her eyes. A small sob ripped through her throat.

It broke Lotor and Allura’s heart watching her curl into herself in defeat.

“She tried to kill her mom?” Allura was in complete shock.

“She probably had a reason.” Lotor said.

“I think we’re really deep in her head now, where feeling is most vulnerable.”

Her mother slowly wrapped her arms around the child. She was crying too. “ _I’m sorry, Hope, but there is nothing I can do..”_

The pain that affected Lotor and Allura started going away. When they felt that physical relief and were able to sigh it out, they knew it was just like painful emotions. Belle was pent up, completely wallowed in affliction until her mother hugged her, and they felt that. They were quite familiar of it.

They looked around for some kind of exit. Without an entity guiding them, it was hard to figure this out.

“Great, another riddle.” Allura sighed. “What are we to figure out here?”

Lotor noticed that on the ground there was a latch. He crouched down and opened it. “Down here.” He said. He grabbed the ladder that lead into it’s dark hole and climbed down it. She followed.

As they got further and further down, they began hearing muffled voices. They were female and fast, but incoherent. “Do you hear that?” She asked.

“Yes.” He replied. “Can you understand any of it?”

“No.”

“Then let us hurry.” This had to be something important. They had to be going in the correct direction, which was good. They didn’t have much more time.

Soon enough the voices got more and more clear. It sounded like some kind of news report.

When they could finally understand, they got chills.

It was a news report.

“ ** _Prophet Hope Renns was found dead this morning after being reported missing over a movement ago._** ”

Those words kept repeating over, and over, and over again.

When they reached the bottom, the ladder disappeared. Light struck them, revealing them to be by a lake. Paramedics were at the shore surrounding Belle, who was lying in the sand, wet and unmoving. Blood covered her side. She was lifeless.

Allura covered her mouth and looked away, putting her face into Lotor’s chest. His arm went around her. “What… happened to her?”

A solid voice, loud and clear, hit them hard with a direct answer.

“ ** _The Prophet attempted to escape a team of rescuers by swimming off shore of Lake Eonia. It was then a unknown hostile creature attacked her, killing her in it’s pursuit.”_**

A lake monster. Some kind of animal brought her to her demise.

 

“ _Lady Azaria lied to me!_ ”

  
Belle’s voice.

It was like ice running down their backs. Everything around them began to warp away, flying away into complete ash. This feeling that they felt- it wasn’t exactly painful. It was cold and hollow, like they wanted to tense up so much and make themselves small. It was the feeling of grief, loss, and depression.

“How did Azaria betray her?” Allura felt tears begin running down her face. They were hot, stinging her skin.

“Lady Azaria… was the cause.” Lotor said slowly. “She killed her in someway.”

 

They woke up in a place that was completely silent and white. Allura’s eyes focused on snowy branches above them, her breathing slow and steady. Here she felt the feeling of being completely safe, like nothing could ever hurt them, like they were being cradled by nothing but love. She looked over to Lotor, who was laying right next to her. He was shirtless, wearing nothing but white pants. She looked down at herself, seeing that she was in nothing but a white dress. Surprisingly, the snow wasn’t cold.

Lotor’s dark blue eyes were half lidded, staring peacefully at Allura. He reached out and touched her face, moving a silver curl from her cheekbone. “Are you alright?” He said in the softest voice she has ever heard. His words flowed through her ears like a hymn.

She didn’t answer, only looked back up at the snow covered trees. He grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze.

“We are alright. We need to keep on moving.”

She nodded slowly, sitting up. “This must be the deepest part of her head. Whatever is deepest is most peaceful.”

They stood, brushing the snow off of their clothes. They shivered, and Lotor’s hands went to rub up and down her arms to warm her up.

This place was beautiful. The blue ice that hung off the trees reflected the sunlight, the snow was powdery and soft, and the sky above them was a nice periwinkle that made them feel cuddled. It wrapped them in it’s warm embrace like a mother to her child.

Over about 20 feet away were two more figures in the snow. They went over to them. When they walked in the snow it made no noise, like everything was mute. It was strange, but oddly enough it was assuring them. Everything was okay now.

They lay in a yin-yang position, hands clasped in the middle to one another. They looked to be twins, except they had different hair colors. One was without a doubt Belle with her brown hair and her brown freckles. The other was blond, with blond freckles, and she wore a white dress in contrast to Belle’s casual clothing. Allura crouched down to see if she could possibly wake them, but Lotor stopped her.

“I have a strong feeling we should leave them be.” He said.

Allura nodded, standing back up. “I wonder if she has a source like Honerva did.” Honerva had a moon that held all of her deepest desires, the most sacred point of her mind. Belle was here. They needed a way out.

Nothing caught their eye. It was just empty woods.

Maybe this wasn’t the center of her mind.

A voice was heard. “This place is forbidden.”

They saw a teenage girl walking towards them. She had long, brown wavy hair, brown freckles, brown eyes…

It was her.

She wore jeans and a fur white coat, and she was almost as tall as Allura was.

“What is this place?”

“This is my past, my present, and my future.” She said. “This is the center of all that I am.”

Not to their surprise AT ALL, an elderly woman came out from behind the trees. She wore a long trench coat and held a cat in her arm. Her voice was shaky and old. “We are who she was to become.” Those same brown eyes…

A hand tugged on Lotor’s vest. He looked down to see a three year old. You can basically guess who it was now. “She failed her chance…”

Okay, this was just getting plain scary.

Another Belle came out from behind a bush. This one looked just like the one that was traveling with them. Same age, same height, even the same clothes that she was last wearing. This was her. The real Belle. 

“What you saw was only part of my life.” She said. “You saw the places where I have failed. You saw the darkest side of me and I didn’t want you to, but here we are now.”

The other Belle’s all went away. Now they were left with the two on the ground and the one talking to them. That one was the real one, the one they were looking for.

“You were with Lady Azaria, weren’t you?” Allura questioned.

She swayed back and forth, biting her lip. “Please don’t hate me.”

“We do not hate you.” Lotor said. “Yet at this point, we would love to know just who we are working alongside.”

Child or not, he was not taking any chances. We all know she is much much smarter than any adult, she probably had more intellect than he did. She was capable of bringing anything good down just as much as she had the ability to bring anything bad up. She had the capability to betray them just as much as she had the capability to succeed with them.

“Azaria filled my first life with hate and rage. She was the voice in my head who always talked to me. She forced me to do things that she claimed would make me stronger, and I started to ignore her. She convinced me to run away. Then she sent a demon after me and killed me. Now I will never know what I was supposed to truly do because she always gave me different ideas of bringing chaos, when I just wanted peace. She kept telling me I was gonna die if I didn’t obey her and I did.” Her voice was shaky. “I would always thank her for giving me the knowledge I was born with, but I would never thank her for everything else.”

“She erased your head in the Afterlife because she still wants to use you.” Allura spoke.

“At first I couldn’t remember what she did to me in my first life, and as soon as I did, she erased my mind of almost everything I could remember. She tried to get into my head again in the desert, so that’s why I trapped myself here. I have to guard it.”

So that was the reason. Concern crossed their minds once again. It was much more than Azaria getting intel from her. She had a much bigger plan for her, and no one knew what it could be. It was probably way mightier than her existential domination that she longed for.

What was Belle?

“You cannot guard your mind forever, Belle.” Lotor said. “You are on the very edge of death. We need you.”

She frowned. “You are fine without me. Just unlock the city without me. You can figure it out. You can figure out the desert to.”

Allura wanted to hug and punch her at the same time. So she was just gonna die? “It is not about us needed you as a key. It is because we love you. We care about you. We need you because without you everybody’s life would be much different. We do not care for the risks, we would risk it for you.”

Lotor agreed. “I know I do not claim this of many people, but you are beginning to feel like you are a very good friend to m, even if you enjoy annoying me or running your pranks with me. Nine years is not enough time to live, especially for you, because you are incredible. You can do a hundred pushups in a row? That is incredible! Imagine how many you would be able to do by the time you are all old like me.”

She giggled, an edge of sadness still lingering on her face. “Okay. But we have to hurry out of the desert quickly after we wake up, otherwise we’re dead meat. Azaria has a much wider range than we anticipated. Who knows what she’ll do to us.”

  
——

  
“Oh god, oh fuck.” Gibby ran over to Francis. “Screw this desert! Why is my head going crazy?!” Honerva blinked, watching him hover over her mother’s unconscious body urgently. He expressed a great concern at the fact that she wasn’t responding, just watching. “Honerva, What is wrong of you? With both of you? I’m supposed to be the one miserably dying!” He squeezed his eyes in frustration, and as soon as they opened they welled.

Honerva blinked slowly again. She was like a zombie, not even processing a single thought or emotion anymore.

“Francis!” He shouted in Francis’s ear.

Just as he was losing all hope, a gasp coming from Belle surprised him. He looked over to see her sitting up, shaking sand out of her hair. Nothing made him more joyous than seeing his best friend finally wake up from the verge of death.

It was even better when Lotor and Allura woke up too. Their faces became visibly shocked at the sight of Francis laying face flat in the sand, Honerva watching this with a strange apathy, and Gibby flipping out.

“Allura, help Francis.” Belle started giving out orders right away. The youngest in charge? Perfect. “Lotor, go help your mom. She’s delusional like you are all the time.”

He was already running over. “Well I’m just touched.” Ah, gotta have room for that sarcasm.

When she had room, she placed her hands into the sand and closed her eyes. Taking a breath in and breathing one out, the desert began erupting. Lotor and Allura focused on their own tasks.

“Gibby, I need you to go and get me my crystal necklace out of my bag.”

“What’s yall’s plan?” He asked, curious. They obviously planned this inside Belle’s mind- were they just in Belle’s mind? “Wait, where were you? Did you actually do it?”

“Gibby. Necklace. Now.”

“Oh, right!”

Lotor gently shook Honerva’s arm. “Mother. Can you hear me?” She turned her head just slightly, gold eyes so dim and unfocused he was surprised she would even respond in the slightest. His hand cupped her cheek. Her skin was dry and searing hot. How long were they gone? It had to be vargas. “Come on, you need to say something, anything-“

Her mouth tried to move, but she just couldn’t do it. Her eyes began to shut.

Come on, Belle, hurry up with it.

Allura was about to wake Francis, but she took some time, holding her head in her hand. “I saw him…” She said, and her eyes flashed up to hers. Allura was able to see that Lotor did indeed look a lot like her, those indigo eyes were the same, and she even recognized the frantic curve of her eyebrows, along with the small crease that appeared between them.

“Who did you see?”

“Edmund..”

Gibby handed Allura’s necklace, a beautiful one who’s charm was a heart shaped crystal, and she took it in her hand and pressed it to Francis’s forehead.

Lotor looked up from Honerva. “Allura? What are you doing?”

“Remember how I taught you to heal? This necklace is one from Oriande. This enhances my ability, but I have never tried it out.” She said. “Try healing Honerva.”

Lotor wasn’t too sure. Walking in the desert while trying to heal Belle was difficult. Allura made it look so easy. Despite being extremely out of character for the past few days, he should’ve grasped onto the concept quickly because that’s just how he was. You give him something new, he automatically masters it. In contrast, he was self-conscious about his altean abilities because of his many years forced to be a galra, he just never felt like he was a true altean and that he was an outcast.

But this was his mother here.

When Francis was actually getting up and walking just seconds after Allura healed her, he felt just a bit of encouragement. He grabbed his mother’s head, leaned his forehead right to hers, and felt so much energy from god knows where come from his palms. The way it lit up the dark sand of the desert around them was beautiful, it even made the stars disappear for a second.

She blinked her eyes open, and her arms came around them, resting her head at his shoulder. “My son.”

A big rumbling shook the ground beneath them, breaking them apart. Allura, Francis, and Gibby all braved themselves for whatever crazy thing was going to attack them.

Nothing attacked them. Belle was in control.

 

—-

 

“This is the LIFE!” Gibby laid back against a palm tree, drinking from a coconut. “Who knew they’d have earth plants here? I cannot believe you all don’t know what a coconut is!”

Allura took a sip of coconut water from the strange sphere in her hand. She almost cringed. “I always knew you humans consumed the oddest of things.”

Belle was able to emerge the desert oasis, and to everyone’s surprise it was right where they were all along. It was just completely invisible and untouchable. Right before they left her mind she was able to figure that out and form a plan to bring it out. They went from miserably dying mummies to 5-star first class tourists. It was a nice touch for such an awful few days.

The oasis was rather small, a stone cave was placed at the center and was surrounded by grass and palm trees. Luckily inside the cave was a pond, and all of them wasted no time diving right into it right in their very clothes because of how dehydrated they were.

“In all of my years of advanced training in spacewear and technology along with exploration, this desert surely made me forget all of my survival technique. I wonder just what kind of creature it is.” Honerva said with wonder. “I wonder if it is truly alive.”

Francis spoke. “The desert was designed to drive us all mad. As soon as we stepped foot onto it it began bringing on mind games and messed with our thinking process. If it was not like that, I assure you all we would be well out of here by now.”

“At least it is over.” Lotor said.

Belle was standing off and away from everybody else, looking out into the desert. “Lady Azaria can’t get us now. Even nature can’t get us. And we’re only half a mile from the city.”

“I don’t see it anywhere.” He said. All around them was nothing but horizon.

“Because it’s invisible.” She said. She turned and looked down at everyone who was sitting. “Any chance you remember Allura at all? Like _remember_? Because you’ll need to.”

Lotor’s eyelids dropped. “No, I’m afraid not.”

Allura put down her coconut water and stood, holding a hand out to him. He took it, standing up alongside her. “I want to speak with you. Alone.” She smiled kindly, gesturing her head to the cave entrance.

He bowed, putting a hand over his chest. “Absolutely my pleasure.”

As they were walking away together into the cave, Gibby whistled. “Yeah, it’s his pleasure alright!”

Belle pinched the middle of her eyebrows. “Nasty adults.”

“Enough, you two.” Francis scolded. “They just wish to speak privately.”

“Privately _oOoOhHhH okAy_.” Gibby sang.

Honerva sighed. “Cave is off limits.”

  
Inside the cave was a pool of water, in which at it’s deepest was probably about five feet. Starlight shown down onto it’s deep blue surface through an opening at the roof of the cave. Around the pool, trees and plants grew along the cave wall, giving off a natural smell similar to pine and maple, and it made them feel warm. The cave had a cool humidity, not necessarily hot like an indoor pool, but more of like a nice underground revine.

Allura looked up at Lotor. “We need to discuss this. Us. We have something dearly special and it aches me to know you are missing that piece of you.”

He smoothed the skin of her shoulder. “Today I have learned a lot about you.”

“Yet that is not the point. We started a life together in our alternate ending, you know that. We had children. Here we get a second chance at the rough ending that we did have.”

He was silent for a moment. “Rough ending? What do you speak of?”

Her eyes clenched shut, and she looked away. “You attempted to kill me, and I killed you. That is how our first life ended. You destroyed yourself, it was a matter of hours. It caused me deep pain.” Her voice was shaky and on the edge of tears.

He couldn’t help but to just be in disbelief. “What?”

“And that day I was even more terrified of the future.” She said. “We… had sex in the quintessence field. There was a very high chance that I became pregnant with your child.”

He moved away from her, walking over to the edge of the water pool. He looked down into his reflection. “So we did have something.”

“Although I grew scared of you, I hated you gone as much as I hated you alive and trying to kill all of my friends. I was so conflicted and confused, and became so relieved when I was not expecting a child. You haunted my dreams. I saw you in pictures of us. I saw you in my reflection, you were trying to talk to me, but I would just ignore you. Honerva found you, and when I truly saw what had happened and just what your demise looked like I was absolutely sick to my stomach.”

“But I had tried to kill you.”

She nodded.

“Then you had every right to bring me to that demise.” He said. “Every since I was a child I was always unsure, and often unaware of why I would do the evils I have done. I spent countless centuries in a pursuit to impress my father, then the last three were dedicated to bringing him down, but I knew I did not possess a healthy mindset. I only saw goals. My anger controlled me. If something got in my way, then I brought it down.”

She came up beside him, cupping his face in her hand. “Here you redeemed yourself. You gave yourself a second chance and you took it. You wrote so many tales of the children we have because you are passionate about that side of you. You take care of Belle as if she was one of your own, you constantly check on everyone to see if they are doing alright. Lotor, I have my own flaws. You were brutal, but I admit, we all are in our own ways. I love the aspect of you that believes in his own. You become your own leader. You’re caring, you’re nurturing, and..”

Right then his lips crashed into hers out of nowhere, and although shocked at first, she fell right into it. She fell into his arms, and his lips moved in a way so rhythmic and passionate that she could live in that forever.

He broke the kiss, out of breath. His forehead lay onto hers. “I am sorry, Allura. But I do not remember you, yet I wish to know you… every part of you.”

Her eyes were half lidded, high off of the kiss. The gentle feeling of his fingers at the hem of her shirt hinted it strongly- he wanted to do it. He did the exact same thing the first time.

She reached down and pulled off her shirt, leaving it on the stone ground. “You have me. You will have me forever, until existence itself ends, you will be mine.”

His hands immediately went to feeling her up. They were all over her stomach, her chest, her back, whilst hers wandered underneath his undershirt, feeling every groove of his muscles.

At one point, somehow, they ended up in the water.

Lotor looked down at Allura with a sort of confusion, his head kind of titling to the side as he threaded his hand into her wet hair and brushed a thumb on her ear. She closed her eyes and he lowered his head, bringing her head up into another kiss, taking a full lead. At this point their markings were all glowing, illuminating the oasis in bright purples and pinks, the fragmented yet smooth water picking up right on this. She could feel his erection right at her hip, and that only made her way more desperate to cut to the chase.

And he took it slow, like he was savoring every bit of the moment. His hands moved away from her hair and down to her chest, kneading into her. He muttered something, breaking the kiss and moving his lips to her ear. “You are… magnificent.”

“I believe you are, too.” She laughed softly, placing her hands on his shoulders.

His hand went down into the water and he began rubbing at her, and she fell right into his chest, completely whining. That only encouraged him to do it harder, and with that, she finally said it.

“Put it in.”

Right then whatever control he had was lost. He was no longer trying to take it slow and steady, and he almost made her gasp when he lifted her up right onto him, legs at either side of his hips, and entered her.

Her fingertips dug into his back. It was not comfortable to be doing this in water along with his size, yet it felt so good. Maybe it was the water’s special properties. Maybe it was the fact that our dearest Allura liked things rough. A whimper escaped her throat, and her head lolled on his shoulder as he began to thrust.

It only lasted less than two minutes. To Lotor he had sex with a ton of other girls in his 10,000 year lifetime, but none of them were like Allura. His endurance went out the window and was taken over by a fast paced lust. Grunts erupted from his throat and she was all the voice trying not to be too loud. This was insane, chaotic, and oh so sexy. At his end he slowly let go of her and leaned down right over her shoulder while she clung onto him. He brought her to her own end just by his fingers.

At the end of all of this, all these different memories flooded his head. Memories of them kissing, sharing a bed for the first time, going on different dates, building the comet ship together, and when they put their clothes back on and went outside the oasis to sleep with the others, he felt happy. He felt like he was totally in love again. She was his, the girl he found most attractive compared to all the other people he has met in his lifetime was his. He wanted to cherish her, to feel her, to just be able to have her by his side. That’s exactly what she did.

The high came to an abrupt end later after she fell asleep against him and he was the only one left awake. There he was, lying in the middle of the group on the edge of the oasis, watching over all of them. This realization that hit him hit him harder than anything has before.

It was a dark realization.

He shut his eyes and he saw nothing but a white blast, so bright that it blinded him and so hot that he felt his skin burning. His scream ripped through his ear and his heart thudded faster than anything he ever known.

In the midst of this sensation his gut fell empty and his bones ached with loss. Heartbreak.

He forced his eyes back open and looked down at her.

So she did truly kill him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	20. What is Hope?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group begins heading up the wall surrounding the city. Some revelations occur among the group. Some worries and threats emerge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the HUGE delay. I had to focus on school, but it’s spring break so I’m gonna crack down and get the rest of these part 2 chapters out.

Gibby’s loud yawn woke everybody up. “Hey, where’s Belle?”

As soon as he said that Francis shot up, frantically looking around. Belle wasn’t there. As a parental guardian of her, her heartbeat quickened fast. She hated not having all of her little ducks in a row. “Belle, where are you?” 

Everyone else slowly woke up. “Grandmother, what is it?” Lotor murmured lowly, morning voice thumping heavily on his words. He sat up slowly, holding his head in his hand.

All panic came to an end when Francis spotted her sitting right on top of the cave, staring off into the opposite direction. At least she was  _ there _ . Her main concern for a second was that the kid was somehow captured or ran off alone. “Careful up there, Belle!” She called up. She got a thumbs up in return.

Allura was still lying on the ground and staring up at the azure sky. Lotor looked down at her. He was thinking about his final day all night, you know, since he lost that memory for a few days and suddenly got it back. She killed him, but she had every right to. He just wished that thought wouldn’t linger and be the first thing he thought of waking up. He just wanted to love her. 

Her eyes shifted to his. “What is it?” She could see that his eyes were hooded, his mouth pulled down into a frown. He was thinking deeply. 

That brought another thought about yesterday. They never really concluded what happened with Belle and the whole travelling through her mind thing. Many questions arose from the things that they saw, but they felt asking would be intrusive on there part. The mind is not a mechanical thing you could just analyze. It was something that only it’s owner would understand. They needed to at least make sure everything was okay between the three of them. If they were going to be working together on many possible things, it was best that they were all on good terms. 

Besides, they cared about her.

He pointed up to Belle. “We need to talk with her. She is pondering, and when she does, she tends to think too deeply of sorts.”

Allura sat up and pivoted to look up at the top of the cave. She was up there and sitting alone. “That is not healthy.” 

So the two of them together got up and climbed the cave, Lotor sitting at Belle’s left side and Allura sitting at her right. She kept staring off at the horizon, right where they could now see a big wall that wasn’t there before. She swung her legs off the rock edge with her hands in her lap, and the way her shoulders were hunched indicated nervousness. “It appeared last night while you two were sleeping.”

“That’s the city?” Allura asked.

“Yep.”

“So… whatcha doing?” She nudged her.

“I dunno.” She said. “I always knew there was going to be something in there but I never knew exactly what. It holds so many important things. I’m hoping this was the right decision.”

Lotor leaned back on his hands. “It is the right decision.”

“But is it the right time?”

“I believe there is no better time.”

She was quiet for a few minutes. In those few minutes, they just sat there. The desert was so pretty, and with the orange light reflecting off the metal of the long wall at the horizon, with the first sun bulging on the skyline, it instilled a good kind of peace in them. This seemed absent from them for the past few days. 

Hopefully soon they would be able to just breathe. 

She finally spoke again, hanging her head. “Here we can find the meaning of ourselves. I don’t know my meaning. I know everyone tells me that I’m a kid and I’m not supposed to know but they always expect me to fix their problems. I don’t even know why I can move stuff around with my head, or why I accidentally slip into other’s dreams, or why I even bother trying to read minds. I always think it was Azaria’s way of making me her weapon. Everyone is just so twisted up and confusing and dark and I don’t like it.” She brought her knees to her chest. “It’s a curse.”

Allura put an arm around her. “I said the exact same thing about myself when I was chosen as a Voltron pilot. I never wanted to risk my life and everyday we did, we never knew if we would lose one of the team or if we would lose ourselves. Very recently I questioned if my magical abilities were righteous. All we know is that when we have something so powerful and so dangerous laid upon us, we must jump with the opportunity. This journey- It’s yours. I believe later on you would be able to control it all, and once you do, you will be the most honored being to ever exist.”  

All three of them felt this feeling of being cursed. With Lotor, it was the fact that he was immortal. Everyone he has ever met up until the very last few years of his life he has had to watch die off. He witnessed old lovers being born and held their hands as they took their last breaths. He witnessed civilization form and then die. It was unimaginable. To put that in a perspective, that was our lifetime being lived 125 times. 

Allura, like she just mentioned, was conflicted with the fact that for the longest time she thought she was one of the last Alteans with this crazy destiny to fix everything. Ultimately that ended up being true, she saved the entirety of existence and she would’ve never thought doing anything else.

Belle had a lot of conflicts in her short nine years. She was nearing the age of ten and she would remain just on the brink of being nine forever. She died just a week after her ninth birthday. She saw way more than any child should ever see, so that causes a lot of conflict with her level of maturity. Her abilities being relearned didn’t make her entirely happy, even though she wanted to do it. Almost every moment now she was trying to move something with her mind, whether that be a leaf or somebody’s hair, but that didn’t change the fact that she was still terrified of herself. 

“Our strengths may be quite scary and terrifying because not a lot of others can match us. They do not possess that empathy. We cannot seek advice from most, and it makes us feel alone.” Lotor said. He brought his fist up in a triumphant way. “But these strengths are gifts. Maybe Lady Azaria was the one who gave you those abilities, but you are here now, going completely against her because you yourself figured out that she was not in the right of good. That is a very strong thing to do.”

“And with you, you bring hope to a beautiful land that went downhill in just a matter of a few quintants.” Allura added on. “We are so, so proud of you.” 

“Hope.” Belle let out a small chuckle, rubbing her shoulder. She then looked up to Allura, her golden brown eyes catching the sun. “My name is Hope.”

“We… kind of figured.” She grinned. “We kept on hearing that throughout your memories. Where did the name Belle come from?”

She giggled. “When I was little I collected bells. All kinds of them. It was a nickname and it became my real name here. Did you guys ever have any nicknames?”

“I was Sunshine.”

Belle poked at Lotor. “And you?”

He sucked in a breath. “It was… Lootoo.”

Allura and Belle paused before bursting out into laughter. “ _ Lootoo?”  _

“I plan to leave that one behind in the City of Forgotten.” He smirked. “Along with both of you if you make fun of me.”

It was a good morning after such a hard night.  
  
  


They all got packed up, heading right towards the outer wall of the city. It was a tall, metallic, and extremely wide wall. They were now standing right in front of it, craning their hands to catch just where the top of it was. “How are we going to get in?” Allura hummed, thinking. “It seems awfully dangerous.”

“Nothing too dangerous for us!” Gibby put his fist in the air. “We’ll just climb those metal pieces sticking out.” The wall was also kind of ripped up on the outside, rusty, thick pieces jutting out. In most places, it was peeled like tree bark. 

“I don’t want anyone getting hurt. In fact, Belle, Gibby, hold my hands.” Francis said, holding out her hands. Gibby and Belle complied. 

Honerva snickered a little. “Mom, your maternal instincts are showing. I believe the kids will be fine.”

“But they might get tetanus, just look at the rust!” 

“Mom…” 

Francis sighed. “I am now suddenly concerned. I can’t help it, we don’t know what’s in there, what kind of diseases or dangers it holds, what kind of people-“

“Grandmother, you are looking at a former emperor, empress, princess and paladin of Voltron, and two very intelligent children.” Lotor put a hand on her shoulder. “I believe we will be able to handle anything that is in store for us. You have told both me and my mother once that discovery is the best part of a dangerous adventure. You were the one who brought us on this journey.” 

“Lotor’s right. He can take down even the strongest of enemies within seconds.” Allura blushed up at her boyfriend.

He raised his eyebrows, a playful grin creeping onto his face. “Well Allura here has astounding accuracy when it comes to her aim and outstanding strength. She can throw a 6’5” man without fail.”

“Aw, I love you too, Lo.”

They leaned in towards each other, rubbing their noses. Gibby and Belle started making overdramatic vomiting noises. Honerva laughed a bit under her breath. Francis was almost blank, either from awe or being completely done.

She contemplated for a moment, then nodded her head. “Okay. In order to unlock the city we must get you and Allura in there, and Belle must be the one who guides us through. That is what my dream last night told me.” 

Belle perked up. “Dream?” 

“I had a dream directly telling me all of the steps that we would need to take.” she smiled down at her. “It was very convenient.” 

“That’s so cool!” Gibby jumped. “You’re like a psychic!” 

“Anything about getting over this wall?” Allura asked.

“Nope. We’ll just have to improvise.” She said more confidently. “I still want these children to hold my hands. We’re climbing. Everyone put on your cloaks and gloves. We don’t want to reveal our identities to anything until we are sure of what we are doing.” 

  
  


Climbing it was tedious. The metal pieces served as makeshift stairs, and surprisingly they were extremely strong. They were all standing on one piece at one point and it didn’t even dare to break or even bend. However, at some points the pathways would get narrow. They helped pass time and nervousness with conversation. They all talked about their former lives.

“I think that us Reality X residents can very much boldly say that our reality was the most chaotic and wild thing.” Allura said. 

“Agreed.” Lotor and Honerva both said at the same time. 

“I left right before all of that crazy started.” Francis said, stepping up onto another metal piece. “Nonetheless, every reality is full of war all of the time.”

Gibby laughed. “Okay, well at least my reality didn’t almost fracture all of existence. What is wrong with you all? Like how does that even happen?” 

“A lot of altean alchemy.” Lotor half smiled, nudging Honerva. “And an angry mother.”

She turned red. “Well I am just happy that we were all able to put that behind us. I have never felt so open and calm- not since I was young. Rest assured, everything is all fixed there and prosperity has taken over. I was best for me to leave.”

“I noticed that about you, Honerva. Same to you, Lotor.” Allura commented, taking Lotor’s hand. “You both are very different people now than you were in the war. I saw a complete personality change. It’s like you’re not striving to be perfect warheads anymore. Everything about you two is more.. natural.” 

Lotor rose his eyebrows. “Is that a good thing?” 

Allura squeezed his hand. “I don’t know. I like your casual side more than your tough ‘We must do this mission’ or ‘Rebuild the empire’ side. Do you?”

He squeezed her hand back. “Hmm.. I certainly haven’t talked about fleets and swords in awhile. When I was young, I really just wanted to be an artist and scientist. Here I am able to be simplistic. So now.. I am an artist and a scientist.” 

Gibby chimed in. “Lotor, why are you good at everything?”

“I had ten thousand years to learn everything. Even if I did not enjoy it.”

“I was supposed to allow you to excel at your natural talents.” Honerva said sadly. “I cannot apologize to you enough. I do not know how your father and I could possibly suppress that, and for what, a war ridden prince?”

Lotor looked down at her. “I am just glad that we are here now. Now, although we are no exposed to the same resources and power, we can change things here- and for the better. Besides, I enjoyed the sword training and the imperial education.”

There was something of a sad nuance in his optimistic expression. What was he thinking of? Did he still have his regrets? In the Galra culture, power and murder were completely normal. He always knew it was wrong but he fell right into it before he died. That was directly because of the teachings he received. If you hear something enough times, you were going to believe it, and eventually follow it.

“War makes everyone go crazy.” Belle said. “Your family was  _ wack _ . The good thing about this place is that when people get here and they move on from their past, you get what they truly are.”

“You mean magical  _ nerds?”  _ Gibby gestured to Honerva and Lotor. 

“Okay, Gibby, what were  _ you  _ in your first life?” Lotor squinted.

“I was on a webshow with my friends. We were about to get famous, and one day in the summer.. well, I don’t know how I got here. One moment I was on a slip n’ slide then poof- Afterlife.” He did jazz hands. 

Belle laughed. “So you died… on a slip n’ slide?” 

“Hey man, you  _ know  _ that when you slide down that shit and there are rocks underneath it- it’s gonna do some damage.” Gibby said. “What did you die from Belle? I never really got that.”

Belle’s smiling face dropped to a sad, drooping expression. She looked down at her feet, stepping onto the next platform of metal. She completely dropped from answering.

Gibby tilted his head. “Sensitive subject?”

She nodded. That was all. 

“I’m sorry, Belle.”

Francis spoke. “Let us not talk about the past. Our past is our own business. I want to let every one of you know that no one here has failed because we are not at our very end, and no one has had a lesser death.”

Lotor and Allura looked at each other. They saw a good portion of Belle’s story just the day before, including how she died. It was best not to touch on that subject unless she was the one to bring it up, because damn, was it a tough past. They wanted to know more, curiosity is a normal thing, but they just witnessed how it made her feel. She was broken up.

Allura was broken up over her own death as well. Although it was for a superior cause and was righteous in it’s own effect, it still hurt. Death is scary, most are not too sure of what happens after it. The paladins were probably not sure where Allura was. She hoped they knew that she was safe.

Lotor accepted his death openly. He was completely insane up until the last moment, but afterwards when he looked back at what he was doing, he knew this transition was the best for not only him, but for everybody else. Being here was good for him. It changed who he was. He hoped that all of his friends felt the same as well.

Allura reached out to tap Belle on the shoulder. She turned her head. “Love you.” She mouthed.

Belle smiled a little, turning back around to face forward.  
  


The desert out beyond the wall got more and more beautiful the higher they went. They could see the faint mountain chain far away, along with the coastline of the crystal blue ocean sort of nearby, out towards the north. They looked back at the oasis, which was beginning to disappear on it’s own without Belle being there to have it thrive. The sky was now bright purple and pink, signifying that this day was going to be a beautiful one. This made them forget about the searing heat beginning to set in.

It was a few more hours before they could finally see the top. They all got a bit of a boost of energy and confidence, going faster. They were almost running, racing each other like children during field day at school. 

But Honerva came to a halt. “Wait. This seems wrong. Don’t you all think that Azaria would have come for us by now? At first it was normal, but now it is just downright suspicious. We were in the desert longer than we had expected.”

“She is right.” Said Lotor. “We have already asked ourselves this question and many times over we have turned it down. Either she wants us to go in there or she is too focused doing something back at the Capital.” 

“It is because in the City of Forgotten, she would be rid of us. She knows that there is something in there that could kill us all.” Francis said. “My dream last night confirmed that.”

Okay. Now they were all halted.

“I spoke of this before. We do not know what is beyond that wall, and you all told me there is nothing to worry about. We are strong. Are we all to question ourselves again or take this risk? We need to surprise her, to use this as a faithful opportunity to shove her plan right back into her face.”

Lotor nodded. “Of course, but there is an urgent threat and we must always stay on our toes, but we need to consider this analytically. We have been doing everything in a very abstract and even chaotic manner, and that is not like any of us. We need to think.” He looked down at Belle. “You, Allura, me, right now. Let us talk privately. The rest of you, keep moving.” 

“Sorry, Francis.” Belle let go of Francis’s hand. “I can’t hold your hand anymore.”

They kept going, and Belle crossed her arms. Lotor almost mimicked her. Allura looked to him for what was to be said next. 

“I know what you’re going to ask me. You all saw, me and Lady Azaria have a connection. Well I can’t get to her or hear her like I used to. Sorry.” She began tapping her foot.

Lotor was a bit surprised that she already knew what he was going to ask. “I am sorry to intrude. I know it is a sensitive subject for you, but we need to know what we are getting into. Do you think Lady Azaria will track us down?” 

A look of disgust appeared on her face.“Do you hear those? The voices from within the city? Lady Azaria hides people and things here because she is scared of them. She won’t come here. She is too much of a coward. She ain’t doing it.” She said. “But she isn’t scared of me. I better just stay behind.” 

Allura was shocked. “Stay behind? What is this all of a sudden? You have to go with us, we can’t just leave you out here. You will die.”

“Good.” She said. “Then so be it.”

Lotor and Allura’s eyes widened. Woah, well that was all sorts of abrupt and terrifying. They were not expecting that. 

“...no.” The former princess knelt down, grabbing her by the arms. “That is an awful thing to say. We care too much about you. Please, you need to talk to us.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Fine. I’ll go into the city. Happy now?” She pulled away from Allura, running to catch up with the rest of the group. 

Allura stood back up. “What was that all about?” she said to Lotor. 

“I do not know.” His eyebrow raised. “However, I am extremely concerned. She is awfully young to be saying that kind of thing, but we must consider that she is not truly young. She has seen a lot. It is not unexpected, just..” His eyes trailed off. “I do not not enjoy the fact that she cannot just be normal and happy. I am afraid it will take a lot to finally get through to her.”

Allura paused for a brief moment. “...you have a similar past to her. You were both controlled at a young age as a weapon or an artifact of war. Do you think you could try and get her to open up, because what she had just said was concerning, and I cannot relate.” 

“I will talk to her. You tell Francis what she had said.” 

  
  


—

 

“Lady Azaria. I cannot help but begin to grow concerned. These orders that you are giving to me do not correlate with the plan.” The Official stormed into her office, almost knocking a framed painting by Lotor off the wall. 

She looked up from her book, pushing down her reading glasses. “Knocking would’ve been appreciated.” She was clearly annoyed. 

“The travelers are at the top of the wall, about to head into the city. I know we discussed Lotor, Allura, and Belle being the advocates, but the rest of the group is not dead. Does that not concern you? That entire team together and heading into that city- you know that is a great threat.”

She sighed, setting the book down. She stepped over to put a hand onto his shoulder. “Do you really think that the rest of that group is superior enough to even survive the city? They would eventually die off anyways. It is best that we do not waste our energy. My plan today is to keep the three prophets alive, and begin training our army. Understood?”

He squinted. “How do I know if you would change your mind in the next few minutes, seconds?” 

“You will obey my orders and trust me. My goal will be reached, and when that happens, you will be rewarded. Everyone here will be rewarded.” She began walking around him. “Once they are in and have unlocked it, they will settle down. There is an an entire population of people who are just like them. They will welcome them in as if they are refugees. Once this happens, you will go in and break all of them down.”

“Do I go without you?”

“Yes.” She glared. “Without me.”

  
  


____

  
  


“Belle, we need to talk about growing up.” Lotor said. They were now at the top of the wall, and they sat at the edge, looking off into the desert. They spoke alone, while everybody else was trying to figure out what the strange glass dome around the city was and how they were going to get inside. It was a good resting spot, considering that it was a million degrees out and they were all still tired from their heat sickness. It was a perfect time for him to talk to her. 

“You’re talking about becoming an adult and doing these amazing things. Well in case you haven’t noticed, nobody ages here. I’m gonna be nine forever.” She swung her legs, the back of her heels hitting the side of the wall.

“Well, you may remain nine, but you are learning all new kinds of things. You used to have all of these abilities back in your first life and you are relearning them. You have also learned what an overrated dangerous desert is like.”

“Hot n’ spicy hallucination-causing death trap?”

He laughed a bit. “Well.. that is one way to put it. Here we will all learn much more. Even you. Tell me, what is it you have always wanted to do?”

She tapped her chin, thinking. She beamed when she thought of her answer. “Fly a human airplane, one from their early 1900’s. They’re like fighter jets, but cooler and more industrial.”

“Well if you have not looked at that city yet, it does look like it is in it’s industrial era.” He said hopefully. “Maybe when we figure it out you can pilot an.. Airplane? Is that what you said?”

“My altea was different from your Altea. We shared and traded a lot with Earth. A lot of their customs and language came over to us, did you know that they speak hundreds of languages there? We only speak two. Only a few of them know the universal language. They call it english.”

“The paladins that I had worked with for awhile demonstrated some of their personal languages. Surprisingly, the most intelligent one only knew the universal language. The others knew two or even three.” 

“Speak secondary galran.” She grinned. “Now.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“What do you want to say to me?”

Lotor closed his eyes, letting out a breath. “ _ Coximunek korunix zenum.” _

She paused a minute, frowning. “You’re worried for me.”

He let out a long breath. “I know you do not like being recognized as the youngest, or as juvenile, but I worry for you the most because of it. It is not because I believe you are incapable of difficult things, like this journey, but because out of us all you have the greatest potential. You do not feel like it because you have experienced so much, but you are still so early. Us adults do not have the same kind of will, and the same kind of care for simple things like you do, and that is the most important attribute to a person. I have seen that in you.”

“... Francis told me the same thing. She said to cling onto that for as long as I could.”

“We are not going to shame you for it. You have a free way of thinking. However, what you had said earlier made me question if you were feeling well about yourself. I want to help you. Even adults like me need help. If it was not for help from different people when I arrived here, I would be a very different person. We want you to be happy with yourself.” He said. 

He noticed that there was something off about her. Lotor could read people quite well, and this kid was very much upset and in deep thought. 

Yesterday.

Yesterday he and Allura saw her entire past. They saw things that she really didn’t want them to see. 

“I apologize for yesterday on my part. I should have never violated your boundaries in the way that I did.” He said to her. That got her attention. 

She looked up at him. “It’s okay. It was necessary. You guys saved me, saved all of us,  _ but-“  _ she paused, looking back down upon the city. “I wish you didn’t have to see. You probably think I’m some kind of liar.” She began biting her lip. She worked with Azaria. She was the bad guy in her past, to the point where they had to lock her away because she was so dangerous. 

“Trust me, there are a lot of things I have done in my past that I am very ashamed of.” He told her. “It was only when I was killed that I got tit through my head that people are not bargaining chips. Precious lives fell at the doings of my own hands.” He looked down at his palms, clenching them. “I never-“ he stopped talking, taking a breath. When he looked back at her, she was once again looking up at him, and there was an understanding in her eyes. Who knew that out of all people in existence, he would relate most to a nine year old. “I never wanted to do that, because I see you, and I see Allura, and I see my mother and grandmother and even my  _ father _ , you remind me, no,  _ taught  _ me, that there is a celebration in life. You may not feel like it because you were misguided by an evil woman who created you to do things in her favor, but that is fact.”

She stood out of nowhere, gesturing to herself. “And she has complete control of me. We may be safe here but one day we will have to face her, and if she wanted to, she could use me as a great destroyer. You and Allura will be destroyed whenever she doesn’t see that she can use you anymore. I will bring something horrible and ugly and you don’t want to see that.” 

“Belle, I-“

“Do you have any idea how much I wish to be you?! Sure, you had ten thousand years of all of this pent up anger and oppression, but you were born with a free will. Me? I didn’t do what Azaria wanted me to do and she killed me. She created me. You and Allura are lucky, you were created by a different being, I was created by a monster who wanted chaos.” She was tearing up, a choke was forming in her words. “And I didn’t do that. And now I’m dead.” Her eyes squeezed shut and tears fell from them. She whispered. “Do you think I wanted that? You and Allura had to see that, and now you probably hate me. I just want to be safe. I miss my family. I want to go home.” She completely broke down, sinking into her own embrace, a hiccup ripping through her throat.

In all his ten thousand years, there was nothing Lotor could do or say to comfort someone. He never truly knew how until Allura. Belle had seen much, much more than he has seen and knew so much more than he had known. He couldn’t imagine just how overwhelming that had to be. She was just a kid who wanted to be normal and happy. 

_ That  _ he could understand.

“Come here.” He held his arms out, and she walked right into him, putting her head onto his shoulder. This felt very abnormal. Like I said he was very unfamiliar on how to comfort for someone, and hugging was something almost completely foreign, but he did it for her. “We do not hate you. You are very important to us, no matter what you are, or who you are. I may not be family, but I care for you as such. We understand your circumstances, and we understand that you truly have a heart. You want nothing more than for everything to be at peace and for you to have a normal life. That I do understand. Sometimes we do not get our wishes, but we can do our best to make our wrongs right. Here, in this city, we are safe. We can calm down for a few movements, maybe even phoebes. We can figure something out for you. We can find a way to break the connection between you and Azaria.”

“I’m just sick of being a weapon.” She sobbed. The way she heaved made him feel something new. It made him want to kill Azaria a million times over, like she was his own child that he was protecting. 

“But you are so much more. You are a celebration of life. You have created the most beautiful of things. You have brought the joy of life back to my mother, and my grandmother. You brought life to a desert full of nothing but sorrow and heat. You have cared for sick animals, and you grew an entire garden much more beautiful than anything I have ever seen in all of my journey. We will find a way for you. I will see it through until the very end of time.” 

“We.. need to take her down.”

They both felt a presence behind them. It was Francis. “Two little vines misunderstood, only to grow more everyday.” She smiled sweetly. 

Lotor pulled away from Belle. “Do you want to go with Francis?” 

She shyly nodded, pulling away from Lotor. She went with Francis for further comfort. 

He watched as they walked away, wondering how the heck he was able to do that. 

“You know what, Lotor?” Gibby came out of nowhere, plopping down right where Belle was. “Even though you were a crazy mass murderer super evil mastermind in your first life, you’re a nice guy. She never opens up to people like that. She’s usually all tough and she likes punching me in the arm. Also Allura likes you because you’re all badass but still all soft. Girls like soft dudes.”

Lotor looked over to Allura, who was looking over some maps with Honerva. “I am not sure why she has attraction to me. I know I am attracted to her. She is a gift to me.”

“See?! Girls like that. You just complimented her without her being over here.” Gibby got up, pointing at him. “Hey Allura! Lotor said you’re a gift to him!”

They watched Allura turn red. “Thank you, Lotor!” She shouted back.

“See? Nice guys get the nice girls. So I have come over here for advice.” He said to Lotor boldly. “Are you willing to teach me how to use a sword?”

 

\---

 

“Okay, everybody. Making it down into the city is going to be a lot easier than getting to the top of this wall.” Francis said. “This city appears vacant, however, Belle has told me that she can hear voices from within. We do not know what kind of population this is, but we do know that Lady Azaria has put people here. They may be hostile, so be on your toes. Anyone who knows how to weild a weapon, keep that in your hands at all times and walk in front of the children. This is a no man left behind situation until further notice. This city also has a legend stating that it can cause powerful hallucinations and surreal flashbacks, far worse than the one produced by the desert. It will strike you mentally and emotional in the deepest places if provoked, so please have patience and respect for one another if somebody is having a revelation. That was one of our points in coming here. We will get information, get proof, have our revelations, then we will develop a plan for getting back to the capital and taking Lady Azaria down before she can instill any evil plan that she has in store. We must log all of this. After we leave, we are not sure if we would forget everything that has taken place here or not.”

Gibby raised his hand. “So we just gonna see each other’s personal lives n shit?”

“It is possible. That is why I said to be respectful. We all have had our ugly moments.”

Allura splayed her hands against the glass of the dome, feeling it’s cold surface beneath her palms. Lotor stood next to her, doing the same. They took deep breaths in, exhaling nice and slow. This kind of magic that they were about to perform was much different than altean alchemy. It was much higher, and instead of already knowing how to use it, the dome seemed to do it for them. It began to vanish, dissipating into the air. Everyone watched in awe. 

However, this wasn’t unlocking the city, Not yet. That would come when they reach the middle. 

Lotor felt Belle squeeze onto his hand. She did the same to Allura with her other hand. He made sure that he had his sword ready, and Allura was ready with a bow and fifteen arrows. They would be the two main protectors, you know, the defensive. No one was worried, they were highly skilled in what they did. Honerva was the one to reassure and verify that. 

Honerva would be the backup defensive. Although her previous magical abilities were severed and she was missing quite a few, she still knew a thing or two about how to hold a sword. Her husband and her son were prodigies at it, and with ten thousand years of watching, she could certainly manage. 

Belle would serve as a guide. Obviously she already had this expected (but still unexpected) connection to the city, one that even Lotor and Allura didn’t have even though they were the main two people unlocking it. She could already hear all kinds of things from inside, and they were not pretty things. 

Gibby would serve as.. Okay, look, for now, Gibby was just there.

Francis is obviously the decisive leader. Maybe she wasn’t the oldest physically, heck, at this point her own daughter and grandson had experienced more years than she has (technically, time dilation and warping was a funny, funny thing), but she was the most right in her head, mother-like, and mature. She has mentored Lotor and brought him out of a dark, dark place. She has taken Belle in like a child and is working through doing the same thing with her, she trains Gibby and Allura, and she was obviously already Honerva’s biological mother. Although she was scared for her life too since immortality in the afterlife only went to an extent, she always had a good logical head on her shoulders. Only true reassurance came from her.

They started heading down a very convenient staircase, but despite it being much appreciated, it was narrow and steep. Heading down it along with jitters and anxiety was a trip- literally. Gibby must’ve fallen about four times and had to be caught by Honerva. Once he did it on purpose just to hold her hand, and when he said that out loud, she said she wasn’t going to catch him the next time. Belle almost fell too, and at one point, it was even Lotor who almost fell. The stairs were not straightened out either, and there were many illusioned angles and tilted within the stairs themselves. 

“Okay. There is something wrong with these stairs.” Allura said finally. 

“Yes.” Said Francis.

“For certain.” Honerva nodded.

“I can verify.” Gibby mused.

“Agreed.” Belle said. 

“I believe with all of my life that what you have just stated is indeed a fact.” Lotor agreed.

They kept on going, but that rose many questions. Was the entire city going to be like that? It’s like what they were seeing was different from what they were feeling. If so, this was going to get to be a very frustrating experience very fast.

But nobody said it was easy. None of this was easy. 

Let me tell you, this city is going to hurt them. It’s going to break down each and every one of them, but nobody said it was easy. No matter what life someone has been through, whether it be abusive parents who forced evil upon you, or losing you entire family in the war, or a simple life filming a webshow, it was not going to be pretty. 

This was shown as soon as they reached the bottom of those steps.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	21. A newfound gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Into the city they go! 
> 
> Allura and Gibby discover new powers and abilities that may prove useful.
> 
> Demons begin controlling some of the group. Especially Lotor and Belle, which turns dangerous for Allura.

The city was dark and dingy, nothing like the prospering cities of Altea, or buzzing cities of Earth. The sky was grey and dark, unlike the blue skies they just saw on top of the wall. The dark brick ground was damp, a sign that it had rained. They couldn’t decide if they were excited about that after being in that desert, but the humidity felt oddly nice. The buildings were very steampunk, made of a mix of wood and steel, with dirty glass stained windows that took up much of their faces. Most of them were factories, crowded in and only separated by narrow alleyways. Just about several meters behind them was the wall, so it was odd that the hot, sunny desert had such a contrast.

Gibby’s voice echoed against the quiet and stillness of the city. “Does anyone else have the heebie jeebies right now?” He shivered from the cool air, rubbing his hands up and down his arms. Were the goosebumps out of fear or the chilliness of the atmosphere? Who knows. 

“We just have to get to the center. There are people here.” Belle said. Now she was the one walking in front, leading the way. “All around us.”

Honerva peered around, down the allies and into the houses. Other than them, there was no one. The only sign of life that she could spot was a street rat darting into a cardboard box that lay against one of the walls. “I am afraid I do not see anyone.”

“I hear them. They’re all around us.” She said quietly. 

Nobody heard anything. This was getting more and more strange. 

Allura was gripping Lotor’s hand really hard. She felt like something was about to jump out at her any moment. She didn’t trust the afterlife anymore. Who knows just what kind of creatures and entities there were. This was different than exploring the universe. With her other hand she was clutching her bow, already halfway into position in case she needed to draw and fire. 

Lotor noticed she was fearful, and deep down so was he. He had been in the afterlife for years, but this city was full of things that Azaria feared herself. He brushed his thumb against the back of her hand, leaning down to give her a reassuring kiss on the head. “Remember Oriande, when we knew nothing of it? You excelled anyways. We will be fine.” He said quietly. She smiled up at him, easing the grip on her bow. 

Thunder cracked through the sky and the clouds grew even darker, engulfing the entire city. Francis looked upwards. “We do not know what kind of rain will fall, but be prepared. Do not take the cloaks off your heads.”

“If it’s acid rain I quit.” Gibby said.

Lotor looked at the puddles on the ground. “They look like normal puddles of water, yet very polluted. It could prove dangerous if in a downpour.”

“We have to keep walking.” Belle said strictly. “Rain or not. We don’t have much time. The voices want to kill us. They can see us.” Where did that tone come from? Now that they saw it, her eyebrows were furrowed and angry. She scrunched her nose in the way that she did. She even started to stomp.

Allura scoffed. “Wonderful!” She said sarcastically, very out of character for her.

“Sorry?” Lotor flashed a look, much different than the one from before.

“What do you mean ‘sorry’?” She huffed. “I am not going to be happy about strange invisible people wanting to kill us!” She let go of his hand, and he tried to grab it again, only for her to bat it away. 

He was affronted by this sudden anger. “Do  _ not  _ hold my hand again if you are going to be so vexed!”

“Then you can walk alone!”

Everyone was taken aback. What the heck? This was sudden for both of them. That escalated very quickly.

Belle covered her ears. “We have to keep walking!”

Lotor shook his head, not realizing what he just said. Same thing went for Allura, what kind of anger just took over them and why did it happen? They looked up at the clouds. It had to do with the weather, probably. They were content until the clouds rolled over. 

“The city is already affecting us.” observed Francis. “We must focus. Do not become angry, for there is nothing to be angry towards. We are all a team and all is well with us.”

Then it started to rain. Heavy, red drops of rain, full of some kind of rust.

They kept walking, trying their best to keep it together. All six of them felt all of these strange new emotions, tugging at them and begging them to be put through. Some of these emotions had never been felt- ever. Gibby was feeling remorse. Allura was feeling the urge to kill innocents. Honerva was feeling happy greed. They all did a great job hiding these, but it all went downhill when an odd floating cloud appeared, as low as they were. It was about the size of a football. In it was an image.

Belle reached out for it. “A memory?” It floated past her and over to Lotor as if it was trying to introduce itself. He took a look for himself.

Allura craned her head a bit to see. In the bubble was an image of young Lotor, who couldn’t be older than toddler aged, holding a sword and panting like he was out of breath. His poor, young, delicate hair was covered in sweat. He was being overworked, and a drone flew at the toddler as he struggled to swing the sword in his hands again. He sliced it in half, killing it. 

Another one of these memory clouds appeared, floating towards Gibby. It was of him, happily painting a picture of a banana when he was a little kid. There was another kid next to him, one with brown hair, holding a laptop. “Freddy!” He went to hug the memory bubble, only for it to vanish out of his arms. 

Belle looked around them. “Francis? What is this?”

“We’ve reached the part of the city of our forgotten memories. These are supposed to be the memories we’ve forgotten over time. It’s like the city is talking to us.” Francis answered and turned around when one of them touched the back of her shoulder. She was facing a memory bubble of her and Honerva, running around a garden playing tag. Honerva looked over to see, feeling joy when watching.

Allura saw one of herself when she was a baby, getting frustrated over a picture she was attempting to draw. Lotor saw another one of Zarkon holding him, talking to him about the empire. Honerva continued seeing several of memories from her life on Altea. These greatly distracted them from doing their tasks. The only person who had no received a memory was Belle, and it wasn’t long before she was bugging all of them about continuing. After realizing that they all wanted to stay, and no memory bubble was going to greet her, her face turned horrified. 

“I’m still connected to her…” Belle backed away.  “I knew it.”

“What?” Literally everyone but Allura and Lotor said. 

“Her memories are connected with mine. Even here inside the wall.” She looked back at the group, then down at her hands, then back at them. She continued to slowly back away, before she turned around and darted off. 

Francis dropped everything she was carrying, chasing after her. “Belle! Oh, not again!”

“Leave me alone, Francis!” She raised her hand, and out of nowhere a huge stone wall rose through the ground, blocking her into a side street. Dust came off of it’s mount, making Francis cough. She halted, staring at the wall.

Everyone did a double take. “I knew she was an earthbender!!” Gibby exclaimed. 

“We need her to get us to the center of the city.” Allura looked around for a detour, another way to catch her. “And we still do not know for certain if she is a key actual part of actually unlocking it with Lotor and I.”

“She isn’t.” Francis said. “You and Lotor can unlock the city together without her, but I still need her to be safe and for her to guide us.” She thought for a moment. “We need to split up. You and Lotor go after her. We’ll stay here.”

Lotor and Allura made eye contact, then made the silent consensus of going after Belle. They went down another street, jumping over a closed road sign, sprinting to find a detour and to find her. Who knows where she went, what she was trying to do, or what.

“If that kid keeps running away from her problems she will never be able to solve them!” Allura shouted in frustration.

“Do you blame her?” Lotor said back. 

The buildings on the street were old and rusty, but judging by the signs and old, wooden stands, this was a shopping area, like a strip mall. The street reconnected with a bigger one with restaurants , and eventually gave way to a plaza. The plaza was open, but when they stepped foot into it, they were hit with a drastic surprise. 

Horrible, spine aching screams rippled through the air. They were the screams of a man, and they found those screams oddly familiar. It took a minute for them to realize just who’s it was. 

They were Lotor’s screams, the final screams right before his death. Underneath those same screams, they heard a child talking. The child’s voice had a small, distinct accent.  _ “I don’t wanna die until the universe is happy, Dayak. I never fear death. Victory to me is making everybody happy.” _

They spotted a black cloud hovering above them. The sounds were coming from there. Eventually the cloud split up, the smaller pieces darting away so fast that they couldn’t tell where they went. However, the sounds persisted, continuing to haunt them.

Allura looked back at Lotor, flinching at the loud volume of it all. “It’s you.” It made her feel hollow. She’s the one who caused those. She remembered hearing him on the com system during that final fight, and his shouting at first was him battle crying, but in those final seconds she knew that they were screams of pain. She remembered when she wasn’t able to hear him anymore, she felt like an absolute killer. This city bringing these memories back to her only reminded her of the tough decisions war used to bring. Why would it do that to them? What was the city even trying to tell them.

“You’re right..” He said darkly. “It is me.” The shift in his demeanor made her feel cold. He went from being energetic and focused to being wavering and dangerous. He was stiff, his eyes hazy. She had witnessed this one time, the day he killed his father. Directly after the battle he wouldn’t speak, only stand there with a numb, murderous absence. It was the pure galra instinct that made the galra so powerful, even in their times of kindness and prosperity.

She didn’t know whether or not to move. The way that he was looking at her was like the look a cat gave before it’s attack. She could feel those vibes that he was going to do something to her. “Lotor, listen to me-” 

“Back away. Now.”

“No, you need to tell me what is the matter.”

“Allura!” Belle’s voice rang through her ears. She looked up to see her in a balcony of a blacksmith. Seeing her gave her a feeling of relief. “You need to get out of there! They’ve got him!” She pointed to Lotor’s head. 

Allura could see it now. Over Lotor, there was a strange dark entity, swirling over his head. It was undeniably faint, but she could see it. The entity made a screeching noise, diving right into his ear. The noises disappeared. His eyes shot wide, and he grabbed his sword out of it’s hold and ran right towards her. “Above all, it is Victory, or Death!” He yelled at the top of his lungs. He was going to kill her. He was going to kill her because she killed him. 

She couldn’t move. It was either a state of panic making her freeze or it was something physically holding her down. She looked down at her feet, seeing a similar black cloud swirling around her ankles. “Lotor, stop!!”

“You are the one who killed me, Allura! Must we all forget that?!” 

The sound of small feet slammed on the ground, and somehow within a few seconds Belle was off the balcony and down in the plaza. “Stop!!” She shrieked.

And just like that, Lotor stopped, heels to a screeching halt, arms stilling and sword held at his side. Allura was in complete disbelief. She felt cold, like ice was being poured down her back. This was chaotic, almost as chaotic as some of the missions she endured when she was alive and on team voltron. She wanted this to end, but she was still confused. 

Belle walked up next to her, her arms out, her eyes locked with Lotor’s. His eyes almost went blank. 

“What are you doing to him….?” She asked. She was controlling him somehow.

Belle looked up to her with a sweet smile. “He is easily controlled. Let me explain. Me and Lotor almost have the same I.Q., we think the same way. It’s like blood donations, we’re a psychic match.” Her irises were turning a bit red. Just like Lotor’s were. 

Allura knew she must’ve been taken over by one of the black cloud things too. Just moments ago she was running away and crying. Now she was (somewhat) happy? Belle was known for drastic mood swings, but this was just a bit too suspicious. 

“And you, Allura, can do the same! You can’t be afraid to!” 

She grabbed her wrist. “Let go of him, sweetie. There is something very wrong here.”

“Allura, you stupid head. If I let him go, he will kill you.” She was pissed off now. She was probably letting the atmosphere get the best of her emotions again, or was it something else?This was dangerous, someone could be seriously hurt.  

“Please,” Allura closed her eyes. She could feel the dark entity- that  _ demon  _ in her, just by having a hand around her wrist. It was just like the dark matter, probably a cousin of it. She could feel it swarming Belle’s very mind, doing the exact same thing it was doing to Lotor. She needed to pull the spirit out of her. 

For a split second, Belle’s eyes were normal again, brown and full of tears and hesitation. “Help me.” She mouthed. She was aware. She was trying to fight it herself. 

Allura used her energy to lock onto the demon’s energy, focusing. She was getting ready for the worst, and after she did this, they would need to be quick, because it was very likely that as soon as Belle let go of Lotor he was going to rush at them again. 

She pulled her hand away, and along with it the small demon hugged onto her hand. It made a strange little sighing noise, and it went from being a musty black color to being bright and pink. She curled her fingers into it, and Belle watched in wonder as she opened her hand back up. Out of her palm came not the demon, but a small fairy. She had little golden wings with a pink dress, and long red hair with an elvin face. 

This moment of peace and discovery took an abrupt halt when they saw Lotor running at them again. Belle, now unpossessed, ran right for him, breaking into a lunge with her hands out. Her palms hit the ground. The ground around them erupted like a wave, almost knocking all of them off their feet. Everything happened in slow motion. Bricks flew through the air around him and he stopped, falling to his knees, dropping his sword in surrender. He blinked, eyes normal again. “What…” 

The demon raised out of his back, causing him to gasp, uniting with the one that was swirling around Allura’s feet. The wreckage must’ve caused such an interference it scared the demons. “How did you do that?” She questioned. Belle stood, looking around that the wreckage she just caused. 

“I don’t know. Something told me to do that like it was instinct.”

Lotor got up and looked at the wreckage, looking up at the demons. “What are those?”

“They’re just corrupted and scared.” Allura reached her hand out at them. They gently flew towards her needily, and she gathered them into her hands. “They infected you two, probably desperate. They feel like they’re in pain.” Her hand glew around these, and when she opened her hand back up two new fairies emerged.

Lotor smiled warmly. “Well would you look at that. I expected nothing less of you.”

That made her feel great. Finally, she had a confidence that she was doing something right.

“This city is a creature.” Belle said softly, looking around. “It has it’s own spirit, and it is making everybody feel conflicted and confused. These demons flying around are making it feel sad. I can hear it’s pain. It’s sick, and the only way we can help it is if we turn these demons into fairies and awaken it. We must get to the middle of the city fast.”

“That is why I felt a random resentment earlier.” Allura murmured. “It’s toggling with our emotions.”

“Since it holds our forgotten memories and now our known memories since we are here, it must be trying to communicate something to us.” Lotor added.

“I can hear the city speaking to me now. It is telling us to continue that way.” Belle pointed to a street with a what looked to be a neighborhood. Far away, they could see an orange transparent barrier of some sort. That must’ve been the center.

They started walking, and Lotor finally asked the question he and Allura were wondering. “Is your connection to the city why you are able to control the ground?”

“It’s apart of my telekinesis, actually.” She pointed to her head with a smirk. “Like I said, I’ve been practicing. I can’t do it anymore though because I may or may not actually be hurting the city.”

“It is just like a Balmera.” Allura stared at the ground. Now that she thought about it, getting this done as quickly as possible was their only option. No more detours. 

____

 

Lady Azaria stood in the temple’s ballroom, in front of Zarkon and the Official. “The jewelry box is burned, correct?”

“Affirmative.” Zarkon said lowly. 

“How are our other prisoners doing?”

“They’re still alive, and still depressed. They stopped talking to one another. The dungeon is doing it’s job.”

“They will be kept in there until they forget of our favorite little rebels. They have made it into the city. It will not be long until only we remember them.” She smiled. “Then we will let them out. Even if the city does get unlocked, it will be impossible for the forgotten’s memories to be released back into everybody’s heads with the particle barrier that will be protecting us. We need to get that up within the next two vargas. I sense they are beginning to move fast.”

“When the city is unlocked, that will magically make them want to bring down the Great Realm Barrier?”

“What do you think we have been discussing for the past few days? There is somebody in that city who will unknowingly help them to bring that Barrier down, of course, that will take several months. Once it is down, our army will roll out and we will begin battle. Our plans are finally falling into place. There will be no more guessing and no more changing our minds.” She beamed. “We will become the greatest beings not only in existence, but in all infinite concepts. The power to create will be endless, and we will usher in perfect existence, where there is no war, but order and total happiness. Complete chaos is no longer my cup of tea, of course, we must bring it to achieve our goal.”  
  


___

  
  


Gibby paced. “Why is it always those three who get to do the cool stuff?”

“We will get to do cool stuff, too.” Francis said, organizing some wooden bins and barrels in the broken down shop they were sitting in. Broken windows let small pockets of light in to shine on broken wooden floors. Tables and chairs lay scattered, and they sat at a table in the corner of the shop, looking out those windows and into the street. “Just when the time is right.” 

Honerva wiped a layer of dust off one of the pictures hanging on the wall. It revealed a picture of a tall man standing in front of a world war 2 airplane.  “We could be helping them, Mom. They need back up.”

“We had to let them split up from us because six is too many to be running through a city.” Francis said. “Sometimes we have to take out variables.”

“I am nervous for my son.”

Francis smiled, placing hand on her shoulder. “Honnie, your son has a lot of you in him. He has fought many battles, correct?”

“Uhhh… guys?” Gibby stepped back from where he was, shyly pointing. “What is that?” 

A dark, black entity floated towards him, one not much bigger than his fist. He backed away more, shouting in fear. “Get it away!”

“Step back!” Honerva drew a dagger from her pocket, throwing it at the creature. It went through it. A direct hit, but it didn’t do much, only made it more angry. It shrieked, darting at him. He let out a high pitched scream, falling to the ground and covering his face. 

Instead of completely attacking him, it flew right into the palm that was facing out in defense. He peeked, looking at it. “Hey, it’s nice! It’s a nice wittle pwuff of smoke.” He sat normally, holding it in his hands.

“Gibson, put that down before it hurts you.” Francis warned, not taking any chances. If he got hurt under her watch she would never forgive herself.    
  
“No, look!” he said, snuggling it. There was a bright flash, and the cloud went from being black to a bright yellow. He let go of it, and a fairy emerged, proudly flapping her wings and putting her nose to the sky with joy and freedom. She turned and waved kindly at him, as if she was saying thank you. 

Francis and Honerva looked at each other, then smiled. “Well would you look at that.” Francis. “You have a pure heart.”

“I felt the energy from that thing being dark and distorted, but as soon as it entered your hands it felt warm and welcoming.” Honerva said mystically. “I wonder just what they are.”

Just as they were having a moment of peace, a booming shock of wind blew through the windows, over them, and when they looked up they saw something big, far bigger than most of the buildings, fly right over. It was dark, violent, and terrifying. 

Oh no. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
